


Mario and Luigi - Stuck in Dreams and Nightmares

by Antares10



Series: The Game of Our Life [1]
Category: Homestuck, Super Mario & Related Fandoms
Genre: Brotherly Relationship, Confusing Mario-Timeline, Confusing Mario-Universe, Confusing past, Consequences are dealt with, Crossover, Dreams, Feelings are dealt with, Fusion, Gen, Nightmares, Other, Sburb is NOT a nice game, basicly shit happens, game mechanics, happy end
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-29
Updated: 2015-05-11
Packaged: 2018-03-20 05:22:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 22,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3638325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Antares10/pseuds/Antares10
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mario sometimes thinks that he was living in a dream. Luigi believes that sometimes everything is a nightmare.<br/>There is a lot of undealt fallout in the past and a game that will end their world as they know it in the future. And the game isn't nice. Or fair.</p>
<p>It's hard to have to deal with all this. It's hard, but maybe there will be somebody who will understand.</p>
<p>(There is a game. There is a life. For them it's the same. And the rules keep changing.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So. This thing. Yeah, it all started out as a few scenes written between other stuff and evolved in this.  
> BIG thanks to Pandir, as they are the best beta and critic ever and without their help I wouldn't have got this thing so far. 
> 
> Only a warning: The story seems a bit fragmented, but this is intentional and should clear up itself at the end. ;) Other than that, there will be discussions of things that went down in many Mario Games, namely the whole Mario-and-Luigi-series, Luigis Mansion 1 and 2 and Super Paper Mario. There will be talks about FEELINGS and stuff. There WILL be a happy end, so hang on, even if things seem bad. ^^
> 
> And now, have fun with the story.

They say dreams don't tell what is about to come, but what has happened to us. There is a saying that the only thing more vague than the future would be the past. There are people who say that dreams are the door to our mind.

 So, when all of this is true... would that mean that dreams would show us a past we have forgotten?

   
The Dreamer himself doesn't know. He dreams...

 

 

_ We played a game. Everything changed. We were alive and our life was a game. The Game ended. Someone's game ended.  _

 

_ We grew up together. Where? When?  _

 

_ We... We... We... _

 

_ I... _

 

_ I played a game. I played it and it meant a lot to me. And you? You...  _

 

_ No. _

 

_ We played a game. Everything changed. The Rules. The Game. _

 

_ Our life. _

 

_ There was a game. And then... there was our life. _

 

 

Mario woke up as he heard his brother  gasping in his sleep. He couldn't help to feel a bit annoyed. Luigi had always had a light sleep and a tendency for lively dreams, but the nightmares that had haunted him for the last weeks were a strain on both of them.

   
The whole “lets go into your mind while you are sleeping and mess with it” thing just HAD to happen barely a week after Luigi had finally found restful sleep after the last ghost fiasco again. As annoying as losing sleep could be, Mario also became more seriously worried about his brother every day.

   
So he left the warm embrace of sleep and his own bed to walk over to his brother's. 

   
“Luigi? Hey, You okay, bro?”

   
Luigi looked at him, his eyes wide and his breathing still way too fast and ragged. 

   
“M...Mario?”

   
Mario just sat at the edge of Luigis bed and looked at him. Even after all this time he just couldn't bear to see his brother this terrified. And Luigi looked like something really spooked him.

   
“Still these dreams?”

   
“... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up...”

   
“It's okay. It's not your fault. Just... are you okay? Do you want to talk about it?”

   
“... I would, Mario, but... I just can't remember.”, said Luigi quietly. “I.. I'm just so afraid but when I wake up I don't even know WHY.” He sighed. “I'm sorry...”

   
“Don't be, Luigi. I should be sorry... you had to endure a lot in our last adventures...”, said Mario and, seeing the begging look on Luigi's face, decided to climb to his brother into his bed. 

   
Not everyone would admit it, but sometimes there is no better cure for the haunting feeling after a nightmare than a hug from a loving sibling and a talk in the dark.

   
Luigi first said nothing but looked a bit more relaxed when he felt the warmth of his brother beside him.

   
“I think I dreamed about... the End of Games, you know...?”

   
“... about the Underwhere?”

   
“I don't know. Maybe. It looked a bit like it... It was really scary there. In the Underwhere, I mean.”

   
“It was frightening to find you there.”, said Mario, sighing. There were things that would forever haunt him. This was one of them.

   
“You were scared?”

   
Mario blinked. Luigi seemed surprised at this notion and he didn't understand why Luigi could have thought differently.

   
“Of course I was scared! First thing, the Underwhere IS a scary place. And I thought you were safe and sound at home and then I find you in the river Twygz and... For a moment, I thought your game had ended and I hadn't been there for you, didn't even know what happened. I thought there was nothing I could do.“

   
That seemed to calm Luigi but Mario had a feeling that this was just the tip of the iceberg. 

   
“Did you really think that something like that wouldn't affect me?”

   
“No... no, I know. It's just... Sometimes.”, answered Luigi. 

   
“Sometimes what?”

   
“Nothing. I just had this nightmare one time, you know? Where everybody hated me because I did something that was really, really bad for... everything. Like... dooming everything and everyone with one stupid mistake. And it was all my fault. Did you ever had such a nightmare, that just... doesn't let go of you?”

   
Mario was silent for a few minutes, thinking. Luigi's nightmare sounded like something out of the years when... well... things really had been hard for Luigi. When people would forget his name and make life difficult for him for no good reason. But things had begun to turn around, people recognised him nowadays, even Bowser had managed to remember Luigi's name. Even when Luigi tended to have a lot of bad luck in the past, Mario couldn't think of one situation where he could do something that would result in open hate for him from anyone.

   
But it wasn't as if Mario couldn't relate. When so many people look up to you, you couldn't help but to worry about disappointing them one day.

   
“Sometimes... Not often, but sometimes, I have a nightmares and occasionally I think about some things over and over and over.”

   
What exactly haunted his darkest hours wasn't something he should burden Luigi with, thought Mario.

   
“But no matter what, we live in the present. And I know that as long as I have my brother by my side, we can do anything.”, said Mario, smiling warmly at his brother. 

   
That made Luigi smile a bit, too, and Mario felt somewhat relieved. Seemed like he had been successful in cheering up Luigi.

   
“You are right, bro. Thank you.”

   
“Not for that. And now sleep. We have a long day tomorrow.”

   
If Mario had known how right he was with that, he wouldn't have fallen asleep as fast and peacefully as he did.

 

 

“ _ What do they feed you Mario Brothers, anyway? Gullible Soup?” _

 

“ _ STOP MESSING WITH MY BRO!” _

 

“ _ I'm a Ghost Hunter!” _

 

“ _ Take me with you!” _

 

“ _ I don't want to be alone...” _

 

“ _ ...please... don't...” _

 

“ _ Mario?” _

 

“ _ MARIO!” _

 

 

The next morning brought letters from the princess and some much welcome distraction from nightmares and unhappy thoughts. So they headed off to the castle, excited for the news Peach promised in her letter.

   
It seemed to be the start of another adventure. Mario would say it sounded just like it always did. Professor E. Gadd, genius, inventor and friend of Luigi, came to the palace with news of a discovery. It sounded so... simple. Even fun. 

   
A game, that people had played many, many years ago. Some sort of myth. An exiting myth from cultures long gone, and it involved some kinds of puzzles and all that stuff.

   
“You mean... people believed that you can create a WORLD when you play the game?”, Luigi asked, fascinated but sceptic.

   
“Not a world, my young friend.”,Gadd said with a slight laugh. “A whole new universe! This is the price you get for beating the game. A universe and a world that the players always wanted. A recreation of what they deem their paradise. Well... what the Game would recognise as what would be considered a paradise. There ARE a few warnings that this could be twisted into something the player wouldn't intent, but that's the gist of it.”

   
Mario looked at Peach who hadn't said anything the whole time. 

   
“What do you say, princess?”

   
“Hmm? Oh... yes, this sounds... very strange. Where did you find all of that, Professor?”

   
“The new dig at the very edge of your kingdom. The Beanbean kingdom was very helpful when I had to expand on their land.”

   
“The Beanbean Kingdom?”, Luigi asked, head moving upwards. Mario smiled a bit at that. He knew what Luigi was thinking. “Was Prince Peasley there? How is he?”

   
“Oh, he visited the dig one day. A very fabulous guy, huh? He seemed fine.”

   
Mario just grinned at the look on Luigis face. He didn't know why but the prince and his brother were somehow drawn to each other. Peasley would praise just about anything about Luigi and Luigi alternated between being flattered and flustered about it and holding Peasley on a pedestal himself. It was kind of endearing. (And a relief that there were people out there who would appreciated Luigi as himself and not just as his brother. Even if Mario could never quite wrap his head around the fact that a bean was flirting with his brother and said brother didn't seem to mind.) 

   
Unfortunately, Peasley had his responsibility to his kingdom and Luigi himself was to dedicated to protecting the Mushroom Kingdom (and to the part-time-jobs done for Professor Gadd) to go on vacation very often.  
They DID write letters. Mario knew about them even if his brother tried to keep them a secret. It wasn't that they wrote each other embarrassing stuff (Mario checked. He WAS a bit ashamed of that but he couldn't bring himself to care too much) but some things were pretty personal between them (those were the things Mario tried to forget as soon as he had read them. There WERE things he never wanted to know about his brother and things Luigi would never want Mario to know. And other things he waited for Luigi to tell him. His brother should know better than to be afraid of being judged, but Mario would let him keep his own pace with that.)

   
The letters from DAISY on the other hand? Whole other kind of ball-game. Luigi would have his head if he would read THEM.  
He smiled a bit at the memory of his brothers face as he snatched a letter from Daisy out of his hand this one time, head red as a tomato and stuttering like crazy. Mario never figured out what was between Luigi and Daisy. Or Luigi and Peasley. 

   
Sometimes he thought about how it would be a good idea if the three of them would meet up together. But he wouldn't meddle with the love-life of his brother... much.

   
He grinned a bit at this thought, as he looked at Luigi chatting with the professor. His eyes moved back to the princess. 

 

Mario still saw the thoughtful look on Peach's face. 

  
“Princess? Is everything all right?”

   
“Huh? Oh... yes, Mario... It's just... this tale reminds me of something my mother once told me... but... I can't seem toremember.”

   
“Well, but I didn't come here just to tell you about the game. I came because I believe I have found a way to PLAY it. But because it seem to be quite dangerous...”, Gadd begun to explain, letting the end of his sentence fade into silence. 

   
Luigi looked at Mario, half-fearful, half... interested? Oh, Mario grinned a bit. Luigi had an adventurous streak, he just didn't let it out very often. But this? Luigi was so hooked on this game-thing! It would be fun if it was what Mario thought it was. And would maybe bring Luigi some more happy-thoughts than their last adventures.

   
“You want help from Mario and Luigi, huh?”, Peach said, a smile on her lips.

   
“Yes, yes. I would like their help.”

 

 

“ _ Look! Look what I have found! It's like... the coolest thing EVER!” _

 

“ _ It's a game. Calm down, okay?” _

 

“ _ You just saying that because you didn't play it. Everybody says that it's amazing! Like the greatest game EVER!” _

 

“ _ Yeah? Well, play it then... Maybe we play it together later, okay?” _

 

 

It turns out that they had no  CHOICE whether to play the game or not. Gadd found out that meteors were heading straight for the Mushroom Kingdom only hours later and the only thing that could save them would be to play the game and relocate everything to the “Medium” or to create a world where they all could survive.

 

It wasn't a good plan. Mario would later say that it was a very, very bad idea. But nobody knew better  and nobody had a better plan. Luigi even said so himself. He convinced Mario that there was no other way. So they did it. Mario and Luigi started the game. 

 

 

_ I don't know... I just don't know. I don't remember. We just played a game. It was a game, wasn't it? But we forgot.  _

 

_ I don't remember their faces. I don't remember who they were. I don't remember that I forgot.  _

 

_ It was... it was and then it wasn't and... _

 

_ Why don't we remember? _

 

_ Why do they not remember me? Why did they forget me? _

 

_ Or was it just a dream? _

 


	2. Chapter 2

Gadd provided them with the means to play the game. He set Mario and Luigi up as each other's server players, each of them at a different place of the kingdom. Mario at his and Luigis home, and Luigi in his own mansion at the other end of the Kingdom. 

  
There was a debate about whether or not they should take people with them into the Medium, into the Game. A consensus was made that if they won the game nobody would get hurt if they stayed in the Kingdom and if they lost... well, then it wouldn't make a difference. And if they did take people into the game, they would only be in danger because of the monsters and other things that might await them.

  
So  Mario and Luigi went alone, only with Gadd's voice from his laboratory to guide them through the first steps.

  
He told them that there would be other players. That the game would choose other people to play with them, because it would be nearly impossible to play as just two people. He told them to find their title and their aspect. He told them that they would need a time player, a space player and that it would be good if there was a knight. He told them how to enter the Medium. He told them about the basic rules of the game, about the inventory system, the fight system and many more. 

  
He told them to be careful. He told them about their  dream selves. He told them to work together. 

  
He told Mario to do his best to win the game. He told Luigi to look after his brother and himself. He wished  both of them the best of luck. 

  
He knew that there wouldn't be a light-player among them. And no seer either.

 

 

“ _ Hey? Why do you cry?” _

 

“ _ Because it's Game Over! The Game is over!” _

 

“ _ Hey... hey, it's not so bad. It's just a game...” _

 

“ _ But... but, it was... it was HIS Game. And now it's over!” _

 

“ _ HIS Game? But... he...” _

 

“ _ DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND?” _

 

_ When did life become a game... and a game life? Why did he do this? Why did he let this happened? _

 

 

  
The first thing that happened was that Mario was quite annoyed about the fact that he and Luigi had to split up for this whole thing. And that they had to use devices like the Game Boy Horror DS. Luigi seemed to get the hang of this thing pretty quickly but Mario just couldn't work with it.

  
Setting up the necessary items for entering the medium was a bit of a hassle. Especially because he didn't know where to place the things in Luigi's house. AND the Communication was a bit iffy at first and Mario really, really didn't like not knowing what his brother was doing.

  
There were tasks to do, though. His first Item had to be alchemized which would bring him and his home to the Medium. 

  
He could already see the meteor heading for his home. The first item crafted looked a bit like a strange, red mushroom. With the meteor coming nearer every second he didn't have much time to think and just took a bite out of it.

  
The House of the Mario brothers disappeared right before the meteor created a crater nearly as big as the entire Mushroom kingdom.

 

 

“ _ Bro, you won't leave me alone, anymore?” _

  
“ _ No... No, I promise. From now on, I will be always there for you. Whenever you need my help, I swear I will be there and will be helping you.” _

 

…  _ you lied. _

 

 

The first thing Mario did in the Medium was to try and contact Luigi. He got a message that Luigi was on his planet, but he had no chance to speak with him just yet. The professor didn't answer, too. Only a pre-recorded message played whenever he called and told him more about what they had to accomplish in the game.

  
Choose your strifespecibus. Alchemize items you can use. Secure your position. Look out for Imps. And speak to your Spriteguide.

  
Mario had considered not prototyping anything pre-Medium, but unfortunately, it was necessary so the battlefield could be ready to breed a new universe.

  
It was kinda hard to choose. Nothing really came to mind. Something powerful? Or something weak? Something he held dear or something that he wouldn't care about if he lost it.

  
Ultimately, the choice was made for him: A Fireflower fell into the kernel as the shock after a meteor impact near the house knocked it off its place on a shelf, turning the bright-red kernel into a beautiful red flower.

  
A flower that now had a face and could TALK.

  
“ OMG FIREFIREDIREBURN. FLAME. FIREBRAND. SUNSUNSUNSUNSUN.”

  
Well, nobody said that it had to make sense.

  
Mario sighed at that. He just hoped that Luigi had more luck with hi ** s  ** kernel.

  
Anyway, he should also choose his strifespecibus. It was a simple choice, really. His trusted Hammer would play the big offensive card in his game and as long as he didn't do anything to his shoes, he could still use his jump.

  
“ FIREFIREFIREFIRE BURN!”

  
Mario took that as a compliment.

  
Okay, time for a plan: Alchemizing stuff. Securing his home. And then: Adventuring!

 

 

“ _ Fire!” _

“ _ Thunder!” _

  
“ _ We did it! We destroyed the evil Overlord! We freed the world!” _

  
“ _ Yahoo! We are the best!” _

  
“ _ Ahahaha!” _

  
“ _ Hahahaha!” _

  
“ _ Ahahahaha! God, that's so much fun.” _

  
“ _ Yeah... Hey, Mario? Do you think that there are heros like that?” _

  
“ _ Maybe? I don't know... but it would be awesome! We could be like... the super-brothers!” _

  
“ _ Super-Brothers? Mario, you are never allowed to name anything like ever!” _

  
“ _ Hey!” _

 

 

The Imps looked a bit ridiculous with their leaf-like hands and flower pendants around their necks. But Mario didn't find them so ridiculous anymore when he discovered that they could shoot fireballs. It wasn't quite like the powers he got from the Fireflower but close enough.

  
It got a bit more complicated as they started to get ghost-powers and Mario knew in this instant that Luigi had prototyped his kernel. 

He was sure that it had to be an accident. But by the Stars, it was annoying! (Luigi apologised as soon as they could establish  
communication again.)

  
Mario explored his planet alone. 

  
Four days, three hours, five minutes and counting...

  
  


 

“ _ Hey... what is your biggest wish?” _

  
“ _ I don't know... be a hero, maybe?” _

 

 

“ _ Hey... a shooting star! What do you wish?” _

  
“ _ ...” _

_  
To be like you. _

 

 

“ _ I wish to be a great plumber just like my big bro.” _

 

 

“ _ If you had one wish... what would it be?” _

  
“ _ To help my brother.” _

_  
Please... oh please, please, please, please, please... _

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

SOMEBODY processed a Gumba and a Koopa. The resulting Imps were a sight to behold and should be destroyed before they laid eggs. Well, that was Mario's opinion. The Imps didn't give much experience so he would have to destroy a lot of them to gain any levels... but it would be worth it. And if not for EXP, then at least to get rid of them.

  
Luckily they still had their weakness of a good jump to the head. It was easy to hop from Koomba-Imp to Koomba-Imp (Mario would never let Luigi name something ever again), leaving spoils and Gist flying around. Imps were easy, but Ogres... well, more then one of them could be a problem. 

  
Mario jumped high and landed on a small platform overseeing a good stretch of the land before him, and drew his eyebrows close in concern. 

  
The Land of Sun and Stars, his planet, was really breathtaking. There was a giant sun as a centre and countless star-shaped planets flying around. It reminded him a bit of his adventures in outer-space and his consorts looked a bit like Lumas too... but the monsters were a big problem. It wasn't possible to do anything around here without running into some of them. 

  
Two golden Ogres were standing in front of him and Mario knew that he could always just take on one of them. In most cases this wouldn't have been a problem. Mario was fast enough to battle one and stay out of the other's attack-range. The problem HERE was that THESE Ogres had aspects of his brother's prototypes...

  
Which meant  they were a part-ghost. And since they could make themselves intangible on will, his HAMMER OF MIGHT AND FIRE wouldn't to a lot damage to them. Even less if said hammer just passed right through them. It was not looking good for him. But he had to try.  
A good jump upwards. A salto mid-air. A perfect landing on the big head of the Ogre and a mighty swing with his hammer. The HP of the Ogre dropped by a half, but now he turned intangible and Mario just felt  through.

  
“ WAAAAHHHH!”

  
And it was a steep fall from top of an Ogre to the ground. Well, if you want to call the fire of a sun  'ground'. Why by the stars did he had to get a planet that wasn't a planet at all?

  
“ MARIO!”

  
Suddenly there was a hand that grabbed his and he was not falling but flying.

  
“ Luigi?”

  
Mario blinked. He hadn't expected his brother to be around, but he was glad nevertheless. It was good to know that his twin and partner-in-adventuring had his back... and hand.

  
“ Hi, bro. Sorry for being late but I couldn't find my second portal because of all the shade and...”

  
He was interrupted by the screeching Ogre. Luigi, flying on something that looked like a bean with wings (where had he seen a thing like this before?) and holding on to Marios hand had to steer quit a bit before they both where out of the attack-range of the monster.

  
“Nevermind, Weegie. You got an idea what to do with them?”

  
“ Sure, bro.” Luigi grinned. “Look!” Suddenly he had a kind of strange vacuumcleaner on his back. It did look a bit like the Polterduster 5000 and hat the iconic “E.Gadd”-Symbol on its back but it was green and glowed slightly in the orange light of the sun.

  
“ You have a... Vacuumkind Strifespecibus?”

  
“ It was the only thing that helps against ghosts, you know? And I did kind of prototype a Sneaker... these things always gave me the creeps. So I had to adjust.”

  
How could Mario forget? Even though it had been the most terrifying night (more like nights after the thing with the Dark Moon) in his life, Mario always recalled fondly how Luigi had saved him, overcoming his fears and insecurity for him, with only the help of an old (but genial) professor and a vacuumcleaner.

  
“ Yeah... I know... But... what is that?”

  
“ Little experiment with the alchemizer. It's called the Buster-Duster 5000. Watch!” And with this words Luigi held the end of the vacuum towards the ghostly Ogre and pressed a green switch. A bright laser-like light came out and suddenly the HP of the Ogre dropped one by one. A little light at the side of the vacuumcleaner began to shine brighter and brighter. 

  
“ Mamma Mia! It's draining it?”

  
“ Jep. Cool, isn't it, bro? The HP even are convertible into some kind of healing-potion. It's handy.”, Luigi replied, gesticulating with one hand to a small display on the side of the vacuum. A blue-ish looking liquid was visible filling some kind of tank.

  
Mario wasn't sure whether it qualified as “cool”. He had to admit it was handy but something about this... and about Luigi irked him. But this was no time to think about it. He readied his hammer. 

  
“ Luigi? Can you fly closer to the second Ogre?”

  
“ Oki-doki, bro.”

  
And with a swift swing, some vacuuming and a double-jump from the brothers, the Ogre came down heavy, exploding in  Gist and all sorts of building material. 

  
“ Well, that was... intense.”, said Mario and looked to his brother. “And it's good to see you, Weegie.”, he said, a bit small smile at his lips and his voice soft around the old nickname for his brother. 

  
“ You too, bro. Wow, your planet is beautiful. Mine is just... dark.”

  
“ Land of Shade and Thunder was it?”

  
“ Yeah... and the inhabitants look like Boos.”

  
Mario couldn't help but chuckle a bit at his brothers discomfort. Well, Luigi seemed to have always a bad case of bad luck, even in reality-altering games that will create a new Multiverse.

  
“ It's not funny, Mario.”

  
“ I know, I know, I'm sorry... it's just... well... okay, I kinda think it's funny. Just a bit.”

  
Luigi just gave him a flat glare.

  
“ Hey, don't look at me like that! Anyway, have you found out your aspect yet?”

  
“ Yeah... apparently I'm the “Knight of Heart”, whatever that is. The... The Boomies were a bit vague on that.”

  
“ Your consorts call themselves Boomies?”

  
“ Like you are one to talk with “Lumarians”.”

  
Mario had to laugh  at that. So many people never saw what a dry sense of humour his brother had. 

  
“ Okay, okay. You have me... So... Knight of Heart, huh? Well, then we should find the Space-Player soon... you will need to work with him or her...”

  
“ So, you are not the space-player?”

  
“ No... I'm the Heir of Time. No clue what that means.”

  
“ Well, the professor said something about that every session of the game needs a Time and a Space player to be winable... So... you are the Time-Player... Have you found this... Thing already? You know, on your planet?”

  
Mario shook his head. Well, it was a bit complicated to find something if you  had only a very vague impression of what you were searching.

  
“ No... and no time-travel for me at this moment either... but I think with the material from the Ogres I can alchemize something later.”

  
“ Oh... cool, bro.”

  
“ And you? Any new powers yet?”

  
“ Well...”

  
A cascade of emotions washed over Luigi's face. Gone was the slight humour in Luigi's eyes or the seriousness that he had when he talked about a job. Mario wondered what this meant... there was excitement but also fear and... shame? What by the stars had Luigi discovered?

  
“ I... I did find something out... and how to reach God Tier... but... but it's scary and I don't know if I want to...”

  
Mario just was confused. They had learned early in the game that reaching God Tier Level was really important to beat the Dark King and win the game. What could scare his brother so much?

  
“ Luigi... what do we have to do?”

  
“ ... we... we have to die.”

 

 

_ Death? No... no, it's Game Over. When someone dies... that means their Game is Over. They go to the Underwhere or to Overthere. Right?  _

_ They aren't... they don't just leave. You can find them if you look hard enough. _

 

 

To  reach God Tier they had to find their Quest Beds and meet some other requirements. And they quickly learned that the game itself was a complicated mess of RPG-elements all over the map. There were so many Quests and Sidequests, so many things to do...

  
Unfortunately many things had to be done  on their own. Mario didn't like it that he had to be separated from his brother just after they had found each other. If past experiences taught him one thing then that they were stronger and could do anything if they were together. But noooo, this game just liked to be a big plug in a pipe.

  
So Mario had to go on a quest to discover his powers as the Hero of Time, while Luigi had to go on on his quest of the way of Heart... whatever that meant. They stayed in touch via Gameboy Horror DS (something Luigi still had always on his person. A copy was easily made for Mario) but it just wasn't the same.

 

Mario DID see him at some point, though.

  
Some quest required travelling to other planets and getting some things from there. Mario had to make some trips to  Luigi's planet, often to get Ectoplasma (blue stuff that glows in the dark that exists like water on LoSaT) or Pulsars (violet Crystals that were the stand-in for flora on Luigis planet). He was just getting a few more bottles full and thought about how to transport some of the larger Crystals as he heard a loud crashing in the distance. Unable to resists his curiosity, he run to where the sound came from. 

  
And so he found Luigi and was seriously a bit stunned.

  
Mario just watched his brother hammering some Imps away, a small smile on his face. It wasn't often that he could watch Luigi fight, they often fought at the same time watching each other's backs, but there was never time to just OBSERVE. 

  
He was good. Very good. Mario was a bit confused that Luigi used Hammerkind, when he clearly had only Vacuumkind in the past and the game allowed only one Strifespecibus per person... well, maybe the game made exceptions? Or Luigi had found a way to switch?

  
He didn't ponder to long about it, he just watched his brother fighting, a sense of pride swelling in his chest. Luigi had come a long way and he was so proud of him. He remembered the beginnings, their childhood, how Luigi had never been a fighter and unbelievable clumsy. He would trip or injure himself instead of hitting somebody else. 

  
Aside from that,  Luigi just wasn't the kind of person who would use non-verbal methods of solving problems. Mario kind of knew that that was a better approach but a Gumba just wouldn't listen to the finer points of problem-management that Luigi cultivated. But that was how they were: Mario was more the hands-on type and Luigi preferred a more non-violent method.

  
But now? Now his fightingstyle was beautiful. His body was lean, muscle and flexibility perfectly balanced and he seemed to have everything under control. He flipped trough the air,  muscles working precisely and every movement felt like it was intended and well calculated. It looked like a dance, like a beautiful homage to everything a human body could do with grace and Mario was proud and a bit stunned by the display of competence. 

  
And his hammer was beautiful. Made out of what appeared to be green glass from the distance but was powerful and unbreakable. The imps never stood a chance. 

  
Unfortunately Mario had no time to speak with his brother. (He didn't even  have time to watch him actually, but he couldn't help himself.) He had to go on his next mission on his quest and the ectoplasma would spoil after a short time. So he gave Luigi one last look, decided that he had everything handled and leaped through the next portal back to his planet.

 

He didn't see his brother for three days. He told himself that Luigi could look out for himself, that he would call him if he needed help, that he was strong and didn't need his brother to be constantly looking out for him.  
It didn't change the clenching feeling in his hearth. 

 

(Three Days, 5 Hours, 24 Minutes, 12 Seconds... 13....14....15...)

 

 

“ _ Do you remember when we were kids? The other children made fun of your accent so you wouldn't speak for weeks.” _

  
“  _ Yeah... how did they call me? “The silent Mario”? Did I ever thank you for being my voice at that time? It was pretty dumb from me, but...” _   


  
“ _ I understand, bro... and I did understand as a child. But it's strange how things have changed, huh? Now nobody will ever make fun of the accent.” _

  
“ _ Yeah... but why did you bring this up?” _

  
“ _ Huh? Oh... well... do you remember... how we got it? I... don't remember Mum or Dad talking our language... or the Yoshis. Or anybody else we knew for a fact... The professor asked me a few days ago and... I honestly don't know.” _

  
“ _ I... hmm... well... I don't remember... maybe it's like the thing with our baby-selves. We didn't remember that too, did we?” _

  
“ _ No... I think you are right.” _

 

…  _ but... why did we forgot so much about ourselves? _


	4. Chapter 4

The lore of Marios planet was slightly confusing. From what he had gartered, his planet used to be... well... a planet, until his denizen had come and split it up. The sun in the middle of his planet was at the core of his planet. His Denizen, Sol, had broken his planet and set the core free, creating this splintered nightmare of a land. 

His companions were scattered and fearful of all this and the constant light made it difficult to sleep.

 

Heh, come to think about it, Luigis planet had a similar problem with sleep. Only that his companions could sleep, but they would have nightmares so strong that they were terrified of it. Luigi told him that he experienced one of those the one time he felt asleep after a draining fight against an Ghost-ogre, but he wouldn't tell him what the dream was like. 

 

Maybe Mario didn't even want to find out if the haunted look his brother had while telling his tale  was something to go by. 

 

Both of them had to do something to enable their companions so sleep well again and fix their planets. So Mario took on quests, spoke with the Lumarians and learned all sorts of stories, lore and of course, the Legend of Sun and Moon.

 

“ The Legend of Sun and Moon?”, Mario asked the eldest Lumarian, that was some kind of leader of the village on the largest part of the planet.

 

“ Yes, indeed. It's an old tale around here. It goes a bit like that:

 

There were once two siblings. There were twins and the only children of a great Force in the universe. And because they were well-beloved, their parents gave each of them a gift. The slightly older one got the Sun. A fire-y ball of heat that could light up everything, wherever the older one went. The younger one got the Moon. A ball of stone , but one that could reflect the light of the Sun, turning the harsh beam into a faint glowing light and making every night beautiful and soft.

 

Their parents left them to care for other lifeforms with their new gifts. And care did they bring. The older one with their Sun turned the day bright and gave them warmth. And the younger one with its Moon, which reflected the light of the Sun in the night when the Sun couldn't shine, lightened up the way for travellers and brought the tender embrace of the night with it.

 

And the people loved them, loved the care and the beauty that came with the Sun and the Moon and their guardians.

 

But over the time, people began to praise the Sun more and more. And why not? The Sun gave them warmth and light and the day. The Sun was so big and bright and wonderful. And the Moon? It was only seen at night were everybody would sleep after a long day and so its guardian became more and more forgotten.

 

And the younger sibling became  saddened. They didn't hate their sibling or the people who had forgotten them, but with time, they became sadder and sadder. And all their sadness had nowhere to go. Even if the older one did notice something, nothing could be done. 

So in the night, the younger one would sit on  their Moon and cry, because it was hopeless. Nobody could be forced to remember and love the Moon or its guardian. And nobody did. And the feelings of loneliness and the bitter tears of a being in pain and forgotten would form a sea on their Moon. The tears of sadness and bitterness would finally seep down to the land below, into the mind and dreams of the people who lived there, forming the first nightmares.

 

It was a horrifying experience for the people and nobody knew what had happened. So the guardian of the Sun set out to find out, because the people would not sleep and would be tired during the day.

And after a long time, the older one found out. What  their sibling had done and what had happened because of it. They found their younger sibling sitting on the edge of a gigantic sea on the Moon, filled with their tears and found the overflowing liquid seeping into the void and knew that this created the nightmares.

 

The older sibling was shocked and confused and angry at the same time. How could that happened to their beloved sibling, how could nobody see the loneliness and how all this was slowly eating away at their sibling?

 

But it was too late now. Because the feelings of the younger, the longing after SOMEONE who would notice it, had created something powerful but dangerous. Nyx, the Mistress of Nightmares, was born from the sea of tears on the Moon and the older sibling knew that she would destroy  everything, for she was a being born from sadness and bitter feelings, nothing more than power and negative emotions, bend on freeing herself from the sea and killing every soul the Moon guardian's tears had touched.

 

There was no other way. The older sibling sealed Nyx away, but with this act ended up killing the younger sibling.

 

Broken from this loss and horrified by their actions, the Guardian of the Sun threw themselves into their Sun, dying inside of it.

 

The people were confused about what had happened. Nobody really understood why their beloved guardian had died. Nyx lived on, now even madder after the dead of her creator and even more determinate to break free. And the Sun itself seemed to mourn its guardian's death. 

Over time, it drew planets and rooks  to itself more and more, until a gigantic sphere was formed around it. The Sun hid itself from the universe, disguising itself as a mere planet, maybe in hope to forget or maybe in hope to draw life nearer to itself. Life, that both her guardian as well as their sibling loved.

 

And this is how this world was created.”

 

Mario looked at the elder Lumarian, still deep in thought. 

 

“ It's... a very sad story.”, Mario said. 

 

“ Well... isn't that the case with most of them?”

 

“ I think you are right...”

 

Mario left the Elder one with an uneasy feeling. The story just hit to close to home.

 

“ I wonder if my denizen is some kind of residual from this Guardian.”, wondered Mario. “And... I wonder if they miss their sibling still...”

 

 

“ _ I can still fix this. I CAN FIX THIS!” _

 

“ _ No... No, you can't. Not this.” _

 

“ _ But...” _

 

“ _ NO!” _

 

_ I still had to try. I'm sorry, but I still HAD to try, because it was my only chance. _

_ I am so sorry. _

 

 

Luigi told him that he had heard the story of the Sun and Moon on his planet, too. Only that in his version, the Sun ended up dying to save their sibling, killed by Nyx but freeing their sibling from chains that Nyx had woven around her creator. 

The Guardian of the Moon was blamed for the death of the older sibling by the people and in  their pain, the guardian decided that nobody could ever look at the Sun, the precious thing of their sibling, again and encased it into stone.

The Guardian of the Moon then wandered off, never to be seen again and maybe even dead  like their sibling or still wandering in darkness and loneliness for the rest of eternity.

 

Mario didn't know which version of the story was more depressing...

 

Later he learned the full name of his denizen: Sol, the Clockmaker.

 

He didn't want to face a being like that just yet.

 

 

“ _ I... I just want to... to turn back time. This... this all... please... let it be a bad dream.” _

 

“ _ ... I'm so sorry, Mario... I... I wish I could, too... but... but...” _

 

“ _ It's not your fault. It... it is nobodys fault. Just... just... it's just so UNFAIR.” _

 

“ _ I know...” _

 

_ But it was my fault. My fault. Oh God, I'm so sorry... _

 

 

Against all odds they found each other and their quest-beds some time later. They were just two big slaps of stone, one red, the other pink, with the symbols of Time and Heart, located in the catacombs of Dense (And boy, had it been trouble getting there). 

Mario thought that it was very morbid to call them “beds” as if death was just a nice sleep...  Actually, this was the whole problem: Death.

 

In this strange reality weren't any one-ups. No extra-lives. No failsafe. It wasn't even something like “the End of one's Game”. They have to die and hope that their dream-selves were still alive. Mario hadn't awoken yet and his brother said that he wasn't awake either. But Luigi was so sure that they were still alive. Mario... wasn't so sure but willing to trust his brother, even when Luigi couldn't explain what made him so sure.

 

“ _ No! No, you could DIE!” _

 

“ _ No! You don't understand! I won't die! It will just end my Game!” _

 

“ _ No! NO! DON'T!” _

 

…  _ I... I really wish life would work like that... please... please... _

 

“ Mario?”

 

He could feel Time ticking. He always had a good sense for time, how many seconds had  passed since he had stepped into enemy territory. Now that he was a hero of Time, his senses only sharpened. 

But he didn't gain any form of time-travel. Nothing he tried came out right.  Still, he did manage to create some sort of clocks that could stop time for a few seconds. He was surprised he could replicate the effect of something he once had dreamed about... 

 

“ Mario? Hey...?”

 

Luigi on the other hand said he had difficulties to realise his powers as well. They did find out that the power of Heart is the power of Souls but Mario had no idea what that could mean. Luigi... well, sometimes, Mario had a feeling that Luigi did know something but is afraid to do anything with this knowledge. Even if Mario couldn't begin to imagine what it could be. It confused him quite a bit. He was so used to knowing what Luigi was thinking...

 

(But he didn't. Not always. There were things Luigi hid from him, he knew. And other things Luigi told him about he  had not known before... but it was not like that, wasn't it?)

 

Maybe if they were God Tier, it would become somewhat clearer...

 

“ Mario!”

 

Luigis voice pulled him back to reality, back to the Quest Beds and his brother beside him. He looked at him.

 

“ Yes?”

 

“ Are you alright?”

 

“ Yes... yes, just... something on my mind.”

 

Luigi just  nodded and looked to their beds.

 

“ So... we have to die, huh?”

 

“ ...”

 

“ Taking the legendary nap?”

 

“ ...”

 

“ Bro?”

 

“ ...I... it just doesn't seem right to me.”

 

“ ... I know, bro, but there is no other way, right?”

 

“ Aren't you afraid?”

 

“ Terrified. But... we... we did all kinds of things in the past... we can do this again. Together?”

 

There was something like hope shining in Luigi's eyes and Mario smiled a bit. Yeah, the biggest of their adventures they did do tackle together. Even if Luigi didn't always get the credit he deserved (not for the lack of trying on Mario's part, even if Luigi insisted that it didn't bother him), with him Mario always felt as if anything was possible. 

 

“ ... Okay. Together, Luigi.”

 

And he took the hand of his brother for the last time and went to his Quest Bed, unsure what would happen next. But one thing was sure: Luigi would be just behind and beside him...like always.

 

 

“ _ What are you doing? … no... please... no you don't want that! Please... Please don't do this. Please don't do this... no... Please... you'll hurt... no... NooAAHHHH!” _

 

“ _ ...” _

 

“ _ ...” _

 

“ _ ...” _

 

“ _ Oh... s...stars... wh...what... have I done? No... nonononono NOOOOOOO!” _

 

 

Mario didn't find out how exactly he died on that day. Luigi said he saw it happen (Okay, he confessed it rather after a LOT of questions from Mario... who felt bad after that for bothering his brother so much) but he never told Mario what had happened and how. All he did tell was that Mario wouldn't want to know and after a while Mario gave up. 

He trusted his brother and if Luigi was serious about something it was hard to get him to open up. He DID seek out to find his body, but at the time he found his  Quest Bed again, there was only blood and no body left. A lot of blood, come to think about it, most of it where his head would have been. But it was a little morbid to ponder about this sort of thing and so Mario left it like that.

 

He just enjoyed the perks of being God Tier, a fully realised Heir of Time. His outfit was of a vibrant red and shaped like some kind of pyjama with dark red shoes. The Time Symbol was painted in dark red across his chest and a long hood, longer than he was tall, rested on his head instead of his iconic cap. It wasn't BAD but... a bit of silly if he thought about it. It tended to get into his way at first but as soon as he got the hang out of flying (yeah, he could FLY now! Definitely a bonus) the hood wasn't a problem anymore. 

 

His newfound timepowers were just awesome! He could manipulate the flow of time itself, speed it up, slow it down, stop and start it... within limits, but even with that it was a huge help in fights and out.

 

And the help was desperately needed. There were just so many strong enem ies now. Even if he was kinda immortal, when his death was heroic or just, he would stay dead... and Mario knew full well that if he died, he would go down either heroic or just. (But he hoped that he never would end his game with a just death. There was no way to be certain, but he sure hoped that he would never go rogue and that someone had to put him down... mainly because the only one who could do it would be Luigi and Mario wouldn't want to put his brother through THAT.) 

 

Mario looked in front of him. The battlefield of  Skaia came closer and closer. He and Luigi both had something to do on their planets as soon as they had reached God Tier, so they had split up and agreed to meet each other on the battlefield again.

Mario still found it strange that it looked like a chess field.

 

He made it to the battlefield and could see Luigi fighting black knights. Luigi's outfit reminded Mario of a classic Knight costume with hood and all. It was coloured pink with dark accents, displaying the symbol of heart proudly on the front. And he fought with something... resembling a blade? Mario was confused about that. A new strifespecibus? Maybe this was some kind of power of Luigi? That or the blade was a vacuum in disguise?

 

Mario ran up to his brother. One of the knights slowed down, becoming an easy target for Luigi's blade while Mario kept his grip on the time. A second knight moved behind Luigi and would have him sliced in half if Mario hadn't sped himself up and rushed over, his hammer swinging at impossible-to-observe speed. In a fragment of a second, the knight was down.

 

Just then Luigi turned to his brother, his face brightened but also a bit shocked.

 

“ Mario! Bro, it's good to see you. Are... are you okay?”

 

Mario smiled a bit. 

  
“Yes, yes. Everything is okay. I'm just happy to see you.” He glanced at Lugis costume again. After their ascension to Godhood there had been simply no time for checking out each other's new looks. Mario grinned. “Nice outfit, Luigi. Very... pink.”

 

Luigi made a face, a bit annoyed.

 

“ You are one to talk, Red Pyjama.”

 

Mario laughed. 

 

“ Yeah, yeah. It's a bit glaring. But we both should be thankful that none of us is a page or a prince... THEIR costumes tended to look a bit silly on the pictures, huh?”

 

Luigi now seemed surprised. 

 

“ You have seen pictures?”

  
“Well... yes? Didn't your consorts had some kind of... caves and temples devoted to the God Tiers?”

 

“ Yes, but only to the Knight of Heart... I have read about other ones, but there were no pictures...”

 

“ Maybe because of the shade? It was dark on your planet...”

 

“ Yes... it... is dark.” Luigi said, voice a bit distant and sounding a bit... upset? Mario looked a him. 

 

“ Hey... Are you okay?”

 

“ Hmm? Oh... yes, yes. I'm okay, bro.”

 

“ ... are you sure? If there is something you want to talk about... I'm there, okay?”

 

“ ...yeah. I know. Just... I'm okay. It's just a bit weird.”

 

Mario smiled.

 

“ Yeah, I know... But it's still pretty cool. Come on, bro. Let's look around a bit and try to find the Space player. He or she has to be around... If not in God Tier form, then at least their dream-self.”

 

Luigi didn't say anything,  he just nodded, captchalogged his blade and followed Mario through Skaia. Just like always.

 

 

“ _ Why did you start playing the game? Why would you do this?” _

 

“ _ I... I thought... that... that if I can't have... I just thought that I could have the thing I wanted from the game... when I couldn't get in in Real Life...” _

 


	5. Chapter 5

The first time they slept since reaching God Tier, they slept back-to-back in a white tower on Skaia.  It wasn't very comfortable, but Mario felt as if something bad would happen if they separated to sleep. (Maybe he just wanted to stay in contact, to feel his brother by his side... they DIED not long before and came back and.. well... he was only human.)

So they slept next to each other and Mario had his first  Dream bubble dream.

It looked a lot like home, Mushroom Kingdom and all the lands he had crossed so many times in the past. Green and happy, with flowers and trees and hills on the horizon.

It was so beautiful.

But before him stood Luigi, his eyes white, his clothes torn and blood seeping from a hole in his chest.

  
“ Mario? Oh... oh Gambi... you are alive.”, he said, taking a few steps towards him, before halting. “N...no. You,.. you are another one, aren't you? Your brother is alive. I... I'm not. My... my brother is still out there.”

  
And before Mario could say anything the other Luigi disappeared.

Shaken from this sight Mario just HAD to find his brother. He had to. He had to make sure...

  
“ Luigi? LUIGI!”

  
And the once peaceful landscape turned into a nightmare for him. Twisted turns,  countrysides clashing, snow with deserts and forests with seas and lava seeping into his dream and on the corner of his eye, Mario could see something else.

Boo Forest. The place where the damned haunted Mansion was located. The place where his brother had to go through one of his worst nights ever. Even if Mario was proud of his brother to conquer his fears to rescue him, he could have done without this experience, too.

  
He really, really hated Boos now. 

  
He entered the Mansion and near-darkness engulfed him. There were no ghosts  in sight but it was still creepy. Mario wandered through the rooms, sometimes calling for his brother, sometimes trying to feel for him. It was hard, ever since the game started and even harder now in this dream.

And confusing. The last time he was in a dream with Luigi he never had a problem knowing where his brother was...

  
He found him in a room on the top-level of the mansion, with three telephones in it.

  
It would have been strange or slightly amusing if not for the sight of his brother sitting on the floor, looking so horror-stricken at the wall before him. And Mario looked, too.

  
He wished he hadn't.

  
The room was only poorly lit, but it was enough for sharp shadows to form. And on the wall before them they formed Luig i's silhouette, hanging on a rope from the roof. The shadows showed his brother's death.

 

His brother's death...

 

He was by Luigi in an instant, forcing him to look at his eyes.

  
Mario was never so relieved to see blue eyes looking at him.

  
“ Luigi?”

  
It was just now that Luigi seemed to understand who was before him and he looked away, looked ashamed and Mario didn't understand WHY.

  
“ I never wanted you to see that...”

  
“ D...did that really happened?”

  
Luigis silence was more than enough. 

  
“ It... it's just a shadow...”

  
“ It's horrifying. … did anything else happen in the mansion?”

  
“ Do you really want to know?”, asked Luigi and his voice... Mario had never heard his brother sounding so... dead. It scared him. 

  
The worst part was that he didn't  get an answer before they woke up.

In the morning, Luigi didn't look at him and didn't say anything about the dream. Mario took this as a  sign to keep silent.

If his brother wanted to talk, he was there. But the middle of a world-altering game wasn't quite the best time for that...

 

 

“ _ Go to bed. I will always just scare the ghosts away.” _

 

“ _ Really?” _

 

“ _ Really. They don't stand a chance against a REAL GHOST BUSTER!” _

 

 

It wasn't long after that that they met some new faces on Skaia. Familiar faces. It turned out that Peach and Daisy also were in the Game. Peach as the Mage of Mind and Daisy the Rogue of Space. Mario didn't want to think too much about all that. So they kept their reunion short, Peach using her parasol-kind to wrack some Goomba-Imps while Daisy punched an Ogre with her bare fist. The monster went down with a shriek and Mario looked at Luigi and couldn't suppress a grin at his expression: Fear and admiration. Or, as Mario would call it: “Luigi is in love.” (or, well... admiring someone. He DID get the same expression sometimes with Peasley.)

Daisy was a force of nature. Mario couldn't begin to understand why Luigi was drawn to her, seeing that her personality clashed quite a bit with Luigi's, but maybe that was what let them coexist so harmonically together. Daisy just wasn't very princess-like and often took the lead and Luigi wasn't a leader-type, content to follow Daisy's orders. 

Mario smiled a bit, still not having figured out what made them tick, but content to leave it as it was as long as both of them were happy. So he concentrated on the other princess. 

  
Peach... Peach was really in her element. 

  
Mario didn't know much about Mind  players. He came across some lore about all the aspects and classes of the game, but it had not been much to go around. He knew that the player of Mind had something to do with planning and what people were thinking, strategies and ideas. Maybe even creatively. A Mage was an offensive class that used their aspect as a weapon to manipulate but can also be manipulated by their aspect. 

  
Mario didn't even try to pretend that he could understand all of that but he  gathered that a Mind player would have something to do with planning and saying what course of action was best.

  
And Peach did exactly that. She made plans, gathered information from the consorts and solved problems for them. She wasn't a fighter per se. She could whack pretty hard with her parasol but mostly stayed out of fights and let Mario and Daisy handle the fighting. 

  
And Daisy... Well, he did see her stealing space. And giving it. It was... well... he couldn't quite describe it. But she was someone he wouldn't want to cross. 

  
They discovered the Portals to their planets. Peach went to a laboratory. Mario stayed on  Skaia, trying to find the battling armies. He knew that they couldn't take on the Black King just yet, but he wanted to see where the White army was and how their enemy operated. 

  
He just hoped that they wouldn't be  too late.

  
Luigi went with Daisy to breed the Genesis Frog in the Land of Flowers and Frogs. Mario saw them going to the pipe and wished he could go and see Peach's planet. Her brief description of the Land of Cake and Clockwork sounded delightful.But there was no rest for him yet, just work, work and work. 

  
But Mario knew they could do it. They would slay the Black King, they would create the Genesis Frog, they would create a new universe for them to live in. He knew it because he could feel his brother fighting, had seen Peach holding her own and knew that Daisy would do her part. He had his friends and family and together they would make everything happen!

 

 

“ _ How was your childhood anyway?” _

 

“ _ Oh, we grew up together, doing everything together... you know? I remember the Yoshis and the old wriggler-lady next door...” _

 

“ _ ... I remember a place called Brooklyn... but I think I only dreamed about it.” _

 

“ _ Brooklyn? I never have heard about a place like that. You have a strange imagination, you know?” _

 

“ _ Yeah... I know...” _

 

_ But I was so sure... so sure, but then... _

 

 

Mario did find the White King, but in a dire situation: Deadly wounded, he lay on a bed in a big tower, blood covering the ground and his Queen beside him. He wasn't dead yet but unable to fight, unable to do anything but to hang on to dear life. 

Because the fight would be lost if the King died.

The Queen stood beside him and talked to the other white... people in the room. She still had her Ring on her finger, giving her a Koopa Shell, Goomba-teeth, Fireflower-pedals around her neck, a Ghost-tail instead of feet, wings of a Parakoopa and a Yoshi's tongue and she still managed to look royal and powerful.

She reminded Mario a bit of Peach. And even if the King and the Queen were totally different from any other life form Mario had seen, the look they gave each other...

 

They loved each other. It was  as simple as that.

 

Mario had to leave the room. He felt like  intruding, even if he was only one of many people in the room. He jumped on the top of the tower, sitting there. Nighttime was coming, the usually blue sky turning dark and stars started to appear in the clouds that sometimes showed visions of something that could happen, was happening or would still happen.

After a short while (4 minutes, 24 seconds...) he felt someone sitting down  beside him. Green robes rustled next to him and a delicate smell of fine parfume in the air reached his nose. 

  
“ The White King... he doesn't have much time.”, said Peach, her voice low and quiet. Mario didn't hear her often this... down. Full of sorrow. 

  
“ Yeah.”, he said. “Do... do you know a way to help him?”

  
“ No... Maybe I can do something so he will have more time, but he will die.”

  
“ Did... did you see the White Queen?”

  
“ She takes it with grace. She has a kingdom to look over. A war to fight. She can't grieve.”, explained Peach, not without a bit of bitterness in her voice.

  
“ ... it must be sad life. Being a royal.”

  
“ Sometimes it is.”, said Peach. “Sometimes it's really, really sad and lonely. Daisy hates it.”

  
“ And you?”

  
“ I like helping my Toads. And...”, she started, looking at Mario and smiled, a slight smile he thought looked just so perfect. “And I have you... and Luigi and Toad and other people. You help me more than you know.”

  
“ I'm just a plumber.”

  
“ You are the hero of my kingdom. And MY hero, Mario. Not just because you beat Bowser, not only because you rescued me and never wanted a reward...”

  
“ You are my friend, of COURSE I wouldn't want anything for rescuing you!”, interrupted Mario, wanting to make this point clear.

  
There had been many, many voices in the past about that. About how Peach “only gave him cake” and should “put out” for him, as if she had to DO something as a kind of payment for him. And it made him really, really mad. Because he did what he did because it was the RIGHT THING TO DO. Yeah, there were a LOT of speculations on his relationship to Peach. And Mario made it clear that he disapproved of everyone badmouthing the princess.

Yes, he did love the princess, it was hard not to. But his love for her was a kind of admiration for her. 

She was wonderful in his eyes. Something so precious and pure. Someone he really enjoyed spending time with, no matter what. Someone who could understand that there were days he wouldn't say a word and other where he couldn't stop talking. Someone who made him laugh and who laughed with him. 

And as long as she was happy and wanted to share some of her time with him, he was content.

  
That, and in fact, he did like cake. Peach could bake pretty well. 

  
“ I know, but... let me finish this, okay? You are my hero and so much more, because you are a good person.”, said Peach, still smiling. “Whenever somebody needs help, you help. Whenever somebody asks for you, you will answer. You will smile and will be friendly. You are like a sun.”

Mario flinched a bit at that, but said nothing. Peach didn't know...

“ lighting up everything around you.”, she closed.

  
Mario had to look away, look down, feeling his ears beginning to burn with redness. He just wasn't used to the princess praising him like that. 

  
“ I'm just doing what is right.”, he said. 

  
“ And it is a very brave thing to do.”, said Peach, smiling. She came a bit nearer, took one of his hands and his cap from his head, making him look into her eyes. “And one of the things I really admire about you, Mario.”

  
And he just... didn't know what to do. So he just stared at her, unsure what to do until Peach made the decision for him. She warped her beautiful delicate arms around him, pulling him into a hug and Mario returned it after a few seconds. 

The wonderful smell of peaches and flowers surrounded him. And he hadn't felt so warm in a long, long time.

 

 

“ _ Luigi? Your brother is very weak... please be careful, okay?” _

 

“ _ I always am, mom! Don't worry. Hey, Mario? Do you want to play a game with me?” _

 

“ _ Of course! I hate being in bed all this time... why do I always have to get sick?” _

 

“ _ I don't know but it blows... Come on, I got a new board-game from dad, we can play it on your bed.” _

 

“ _ Sounds okay... but I really, really wish I could do more stuff than sitting here and playing board-games...” _

 

“ _ What do you want to do?” _

 

“ _ Sports! Soccer, Baseball, Golf, Tennis, everything! I wish I could drive a kart or... or a boat. I want to go snowboarding or skying and to the beach. I wish I could go to Olympia! Just... just something other than sitting in a bed all the time. I want to go out and do stuff and meet people and make a whole lot of friends.” _

 

_ I wish for a world where you can. _

 

 

Mario never expected anything from the princess. He was content to  give her anything she would ask for and she would never ask for something he couldn't give. 

  
And Peach took his hand and kissed his forehead an d smiled so sweetly at him. 

  
And something in him said that he should remember something. Something he forgot. But he did not.

 

“ _ I love you.” _

 

“ _ So do I.” _

 

And Mario just let himself fall, his dear princess by his side, the Mage of Mind and the world around him faded away. Just for a little while. Just a bit.

 

 

“ _ What do you believe? That there is some sort of fated perfect match out there, a soulmate just waiting for you?” _

 

“ _ I don't know... I personally don't think so. There are many people who you could fall in love with and who could love you. Maybe there isn't even the “perfect one” but a lot of people who are worth the effort to try. The soulmate thing seems a bit too cliché, huh?” _

 

“ _ Yeah, I think that you are right... But it would be nice to know if... if I will find someone...” _

 

“ _ You will. Just because there is no secret-fate-magic that binds people literally together, doesn't mean that there isn't anybody out there for you. Just that there are more people out there.”" _


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, as you will see, we leave Mario for a little while to look what is up with Luigi. Hope you are still with me with this.

Luigi stood alone in the darkness of his planet, his Hammer of Dreams and Shattering in his hand. It was a beautiful tool, a hammer of sparkling green, like he was made out of crystal and glass, but so much more powerful. It seemed as if there were millions of ghosts of hammers, overlaying, so that the thing in his hand could be solid enough to touch. It reminded Luigi of his Dream selves and the hammers they had. 

He never used the hammer in front of Mario, or any of his friends. Even if it was extremely powerful, he had other weapons. This one... he couldn't  let them see. Because of the big, now rust-red looking patch on the bottom of the hammerhead. 

It was the weapon that ended his brother's life on his Quest Bed. He knew he had to do it or Mario wouldn't reach God Tier and the whole session would be a doomed one. Every session needs a fully realized Hero of Time. He knew that but he couldn't help feeling guilty. 

He never wanted to hurt his older brother. He loved him. With all his heart. He didn't resent his sibling for being more famous than him. He wasn't really jealous. He knew how much he meant to Mario and... his brother was his only family he had. The one constant in his life. His older brother who defended him and backed him up whenever he needed it. (And backed away and let him go when he needed his time and space, when he had to be “just Luigi” for a few days and not “and Luigi” to Mario. He always understood and he never questioned why he'd be gone for a few days or weeks. He always just accepted him and welcomed him home with a smile.)

He had not wanted to do this but this cruel game had demanded it. He was just glad that Mario didn't remember anything. He had asked, but Luigi wouldn't talk about it. Couldn't.

It was like his companions had said: the heart player would walk a way of self, of Souls and Emotions. He was a Knight, he was supposed to protect the other players with his powers, his soul and his emotions. And he did, but in return, it hurt him more than they knew.    
  


It had shattered him. The aspects of him, allowing him to BE other people, other aspects of himself in a fight (to be more courageous, to be able to handle different Strifespecibi, to be stronger or faster or to have a better sense of how machines worked, how electricity worked, how to be a different person than his enemy expected), became independent to hide his pain from himself. It was so confusing to hold together all of him now... but he had to do it.    
  


Because he wasn't very good with relationships... and emotions. It seemed a bit like a cruel joke that he was the hero of Heart. He just... was so awkward around people. There were only a few who he felt connected with and even then everything was complicated. Professor Gadd? Complicated. Princess Peach? Complicated. Prince Peasley? One hell of complicated. Princess Daisy? Oh STARS, complicated all over it. Even with Mario his feelings were conflicting. He was family and he loved him dearly, but... there still had been this feeling as he... did what he had to do.    
  


Joy. He had felt joy and it horrified him.    
  


Mario would never find out. He HAD to make sure of it... Even without the emotions tied to it, Luigi couldn't let Mario find out what he had to do in order for him to reach his God Tier. His brother didn't deserve this burden, it was his alone. It was his guilt and his burden to shoulder and Mario... Luigi couldn't stand to see the disappointment or e ven hate in the eyes of his brother if he knew. 

So he wouldn't use his Hammer of Dreams and Shattering anymore.  It was for the best... for all of them.    
  


(But he couldn't let go of his hammer. It was  the hammer that ended his brother's life. He could never part from it. Maybe it was stupid or even unhealthy, but he couldn't. He needed proof that it happened, that he really did it. He didn't let himself ponder about whether these confusing feelings were horror that he had been able to do it, guilt and the feeling of deserving a reminder of the guilt, or feeling proud about it because he could do something he knew Mario never could.)   
  


He sighed as he felt his Gameboy Horror DS go off. Surely the others need ed him. Even though he wanted some time alone to sort through his problems, he was glad that they contacted him. He shifted his mindset, Vakuumkind Strifespecibus appearing and decaptchaloged his Bean-Hover-Board. He would get to them and help them and keep them safe.   
  


Even if he had to cut himself in many, many tiny bits an d pieces.

 

 

“ _ Mario! Mario! Super Mario, help us!” _

 

“ _ Thank you, Mario.” _

 

“ _ Mario saved us!” _

 

“ _ Mario? I am your greatest fan...” _

 

“ _ Mario, how did you do that?” _

 

“ _ Oh... hi... uhm... Green Mario?” _

 

“ _ Hey, go back, everyone wants to talk to Mario!” _

 

“ _ Hey! Hey, this is my brother Luigi and he helped with -” _

 

“ _ Awww, Mario is so modest and humble!” _

 

“ _ But, he...” _

 

“ _ Mario is a hero!” _

 

“ _ MARIO! MARIO! MARIO!” _

 

“ _ No... No, stop, I mean...” _

 

“ _ MARIO! MARIO! MARIO!” _

 

“ _ ...” _

 

“ _ ...” _

 

“ _ ...” _

 

“ _ ...” _

 

“ _ Who are you again?” _

 

“ _ ...” _

 

“ _ ... Luigi? I am so sorry...” _

 

“ _ I know, Mario. I know... I don't care, okay?” _

 

“ _ ...” _

 

 

Breeding frogs with Daisy was a chore but also a bit of fun. And Luigi seriously needed a bit of light fun at the moment. The whole game messed with his head and the nightmares from Nyx didn't help.

He heard her call at night, but he didn't dare to search for her on his planet. He hated the dreams she send to him. He hated that she laughed.

He hated that she called him hero. “Little Hero” was her nickname for him, something he always wanted, but not like this.   
  


The frogs were a chore, but it was away from the laughing and the voices and nightmares.    
  


“ Hey, Luigi! Think fast!”   
  


A frog sailed trough the air and Luigi only barely managed to catch it before Daisy landed beside him, more frogs in her arms. She laughed and Luigi couldn't help but stare a bit. Only a bit. Then he looked at the frog in his hand. It looked quite nonplussed about the situation.   
  


“ Do you think we got them all?”, asked Luigi. “I mean... that are a lot of frogs...”   
  


“ I don't know... but thank you for your help. I would have spend HOURS catching all this little guys and galls.”, said Daisy, still smiling. She looked at the computer screen and frowned at the readings.

“ Hmm... but I think it will be a bit tricky to do this whole paradox cloning thing...”   
  


Luigi just sighed. He didn't know anything about this stuff and wasn't really a help in that department.   
  


“ Luigi?”   
  


“ Hmm? Yes?”   
  


“ Hey, are you okay? You are so silent today.”, asked Daisy, concern in her eyes.    
  


“ Hmm? Oh, it's... it's nothing, Daisy.”, said Luigi, even managing to smile a bit. “Just... the Game..”   
  


“ Yeah, it's pretty messed up, huh?”, agreed Daisy. Luigi watched her working with the computer for a bit, before he spoke a gain.   
  


“ Daisy? What... what would you wish for? If we get the wish from the game?”   
  


“ What I wish for? For a Life.”   
  


“ Huh? But... you have a life?”, asked Luigi confused.   
  


“ Not like that. I mean... I never DO anything. In my land, I can't do much as a princess, I can't get a job as a knight or something like that because I am the princess and... all I do is sports and parties with you guys, but as soon as there is an adventure... well... I'm not there.”   
  


“ Oh...”, said Luigi, never having thought about that. “And you want that? I mean... the danger and... scary stuff?”   
  


Daisy looked at him.   
  


“ Yeah... Honestly? At the moment, I feel more alive than ever before. I have the feeling that I matter. That I do something important. I hate it when people call me “bland”. I... I just want to feel, you know?”   
  


Luigi couldn't say it, but he had the feeling he could relate. He smiled a bit.

  
“I'm sure when we win you get your wish, Daisy.”

 

 

“ _ Mark my word! You shall spend the rest of your life in loneliness!” _

 

“ _ Wh...what? But... but...” _

 

“ _ You disgust me! Your black heart isn't worthy of passing or processing the power of the stars. It's no wonder nobody remembers you, you are better left forgotten! Never will a living being seek your company and even your brother shall distance himself from you, if he wants to rescue this kingdom. And the same darkness that muddles your heart shall engulf your whole being until you are left alone in the darkness of your own, pathetic self. And nobody will care because the world will be BETTER without you messing everything up.” _

 

“ _ W...wh...n...no...no... please... I... I...” _

 

“ _ And now you cry. You are an embarrassment to the whole creation. You disgust me.” _

 

“ _ STOP ALREADY! LEAVE MY BROTHER ALONE!” _

 

“ _ M...mario...?” _

 

“ _ You listen right here, okay? My brother is the bravest man I know. He is the best brother, loyal and kind and smart and will always be there for me, even if it scares him. He will do anything to help even if it's not easy and for no other reward then for somebody to just smile again and he is a true hero AND I WILL NOT LET YOU MAKE HIM BELIEVE THAT HE IS ANYTHING OTHER THAN A GREAT PERSON WHO IS LOVED AND IMPORTANT. And I SURE as the Dark Lands will NOT let him be lonely. He will NEVER be lonely as long as I live.” _

 

_ He mustn't die. Ever. Because... because he promised. And he never broke a promise... _

 

 

Something was wrong. Something was wrong and...

  
"Mario...”, he said, causing Daisy to look at him.  
  


“ Luigi?”

  
“  I...I'm sorry, Daisy.”, said Luigi, now white as a sheet. Because even with the feeling dimmed between him and his brother, he could still feel that something wasn't right and  _ Nyx kept on laughing in his head!  _ “I have to go!”   
  


“ What? Wait, where are you going?”

  
“ I have to go to my planet! I.. I think something has happened to Mario!”

  
She didn't get anymore explanation,  because Luigi just called his flying bean and took off to one of the gates leading to his planet, his heart pounding.

 

 

“ _ Mario is in danger!” _

 

“ _ STOP MESSING WITH MY BRO!” _

 

 

Luigi was a person who really seldomly felt just one emotion. He was never just happy or just angry or just afraid. In most cases he felt a mix of emotions. Happiness and fear, anger and surprise, shock and all things together. Often this led to some serious confusion. What to feel, what was okay to feel, what was not and even what the feelings MEANT. 

He was used to the clash inside his head, so when something changed about that it caught him a bit of guard.    
  


As he stood before his denizen he was burning with anger. It was a bit strange how that was the only thing he could feel. Well, not new exactly. It was always like that when he used his powers to splitter himself.    
  


He only felt anger now because this splitter of his soul could only hold one emotion. It was powerful but risky to use.    
  


The reason for his anger was how this ancient... thing got him to come here. It did the one thing he swore himself would never happen again: It took his brother. Right under his nose. AND told him that if he wanted him back he should come and see him.

Oh, and how he did come! He would have come if this thing had asked him nicely but THIS? NOBODY messe d with his bro! So he ran off and let the one aspect of him take control which contained his anger. 

It took a while but Luigi managed to get to the Hall of Night... The Void of Emotions, how the Boomies called it. It was an enormous hall made out of cold, blue stone and ice. Dark clouds shaded the land around the building and thunder could be heard in the distance. 

It was a scary place, much like some of the mansions Luigi had entered at his Dark Moon Quest. But he did not feel fear like in the past. He was filled with anger, pushing every other emotion out.

His Denizen was awaiting him. A giant snake-like thing, shrouded in dark blue mist. Mario lay bound and unconscious at the bottom of the great stone steps that led to the big monster. Luigi couldn't tell if he was hurt or not, but he FELT that he was alive.

The bond they had did never break, even if it was a bit thin right now. 

He was just so angry. So angry  he ran, anger overwriting anything else, no time for fear or terror or horror.   
  


“ You came... that is very good, little man...”   
  


“ What did you do to my brother?”   
  


He knew that it was foolish to run to Mario and leave the denizen out of his eyes, but he had to do it. Even  anger couldn't erase that he cared for his brother. He had to hold onto his anger to hold it stable, so it would not dissolve into all these other emotions...   
  


“ Oh, I just put him to sleep. I think he has some... nice dreams.”   
  


Something told Luigi that that wasn't true. He glared at Nyx, but  took Mario in his arms, shaking him a bit.   
  


“ Mario? Come on, bro! We have to get out of here!”, he said, but his brother didn't react.   
  


Ah, there was his fear again. His powers fused out,  splitters melting inside himself. He felt. Fear and confusion and guilt and so much more. Panic. He shook Mario a bit stronger. He didn't wake up. Rage and anger and fear took control again.    
  


“ Why does he still sleep? WHAT DID YOU DO? WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?”   
  


“ Such rage, huh? Not your aspect, little one. I don't want anything from you but that you make a choice.”   
  


“ A choice?”   
  


“ Sure. It's quite simple. You could kill me now and ignore the choice, but you aren't even close to the level you need to do that, even when you are God Tier. Or you can make a choice. I can lift the curse on this land that robs the Boomies their sleep, causing you to obtain the Weapons of Dreams and Nightmares, incredibly powerful tools, that could kill the Black King and the Black Queen at once and allowing you to win the game more easily. OR you make the OTHER choice... it will make the game harder and lets your Genesis Frog die... but if you win, your world shall be as it was before you played this cursed game. What will it be?”   
  


“ ... The choice in which you wake Mario! And let him go.”   
  


“ Ah... THIS choice, huh? Well, you want it, you get it, mortal.”   
  


Fear. A constant in L uigi's life, but more prominent now. What had he chosen? What had he done? Had he doomed his Brother, his Friends, his World? Or saved them? 

Fear melted away as Mario opened his eyes.   
  


“ Lu... Luigi? What... happened?”    
  


“ ... nothing. Just... get out of here, bro. I handle my denizen.”   
  


“ What?”   
  


A laughter could be heard from Nyx and it shook the entire hall.   
  


“ Ah... it's amusing every time I see it...”   
  


“ That is your denizen? What happened?”   
  


“ I tell you later, but now you have to get out of here. I handle Nyx.”   
  


“ Handle me, huh?” It seemed the big Monster was smiling. “So noble... well, he IS the the Knight of Heart, huh? Utilizing souls and emotion to protect others, huh? Not doing a very good job of it, do you?”   
  


Luigi glared at his denizen.    
  


“ What do you mean? Luigi?”

  
“Mario, stay out of this!”  
  


“ He doesn't know, does he? You didn't tell him because you wanted to protect him? It's a bit disappointing, you know?”   
  


“ What is it that I don't know?”   
  


“ Mario, no. … please, don't ask. Get out of here, I'm dealing with that.”   
  


“ He is your denizen! You would never...”   
  


“ He killed you, you know?”   
  


“ What?”   
  


“ ...”   
  


“ Oh, yes. He killed you. On your Quest Bed. In your sleep. One mighty whack with the hammer. It was rather impressive. Didn't think he had it in him.”   
  


“ NO! NO, SHUT UP!”   
  


“ He went for the head. It was quite interesting, they normally go for the heart. It's more personal and a lot less messy, but the head... well, I can only begin to think of reasons why he did it like he did...”   
  


“ STOP TALKING ALREADY!”   
  


“ It's a pity you were asleep. His expression was interesting. He smiled, you know?”

  
“NO!”, screamed Luigi, desperately trying to stop Nyx from talking. He didn't noticed the change on the face of his brother.  
  


“ What? But... but...” Mario's voice was so quiet and small and that got Lugis attention.   
  


Luigi saw Marios face just out of the corner of his eyes but he saw enough, saw the betrayal and the unbelieving look and the shock and... and the HURT. And he couldn't, he just couldn't, it broke him and fear began to take over, fear for his brother and of his brother and of loosing the respect of the one person he never wanted to disappoint and always, always did, even if Mario never said anything and he had done it again,  _** and it was so much worse than ever and it BROKE him...   
  
** _

“ Oh, you should see your faces! It's priceless! I could share more details. Do you want to know what his emotions were while he killed you? Or... do you know what your brother is dreaming about? How he did it, again and again in his sleep? I didn't even send him nightmares, it was glorious!”, Nyx gloated, toothy grin wide and Luigi still couldn't face Mario. He couldn't... He just stared ahead and tried NOT to look at his brother. He couldn't stop what Nyx was saying, couldn't deny most of it and he just... just couldn't deal with the fallout.

So he didn't look at Mario as he spoke again.   
  


“ Mario, get out.”   
  


“ What? No! I want to know...”, Mario protested, but Luigi wouldn't have any of it.    
  


“ Please, I... I PROMISE we talk about that but you HAVE to trust me AND GET OUT!”   
  


Luigi didn't look at Mario, but he saw one of Nyx's “ hands” grasp at his brother. He went between them, his battlehammer drawn and held Nyx at bay while he screamed with all his might.   
  


“ BY THE STARS, RUN!”   
  


He heard Mario run away. But he couldn't... couldn't look after him. He had to concentrate on Nyx. She was still smiling at him, didn't back  away but didn't push him further.   
  


“ ...”   
  


“ ...”   
  


“ ... you never intended to tell him, did you?”   
  


“ ... he... he shouldn't know.”   
  


“ Ah, but you know how it is... petty little lies, little skeletons in the closet... all come out after a while. Didn't you know that the key to a good relationship is good communication?”   
  


“ What do YOU know about that?”   
  


“ Oh, more than you know, little Hero... I AM the night itself. I know all secrets, dreamed and said in the dark.”   
  


Luigi drew a deep breath.   
  


“ What... choice did I make?”   
  


“ You don't know? You made it. Awww... let me guess... your brother is so important to you? Does he know? Does he feel the same? I know a lot about you, Luigi... you dream very... noticeable. And you were once touched by death. Not in the game... before it. What would he think if he knew you just could have doomed you all? Oh... and what DOES he think about you killing him? That's not something you can gloss over with a “Sorry”, you know?”   
  


Nyx came nearer, the grin on her face wider and wider and Luigi was terrified, nervous, angry and shocked, all together.    
  


“ You were never good with relationships, huh, little Knight? Maybe you SHOULD listen to what I have to say about it.”   
  


Luigi closed his eyes. Yes, he was bad with relationships. Yes, he was bad with... many things. But... 

He opened his eyes. Took his Hammer of Dreams and Shattering. The one he had never used since he came to be God Tier. But now... it was time to show what he could do.    
  


“ Oh, you wanna fight, little Hero?”   
  


“ ... No, Nyx... I'm... I'm no hero. My brother Mario is. I'm not. But.. I CAN make things right.”    
  


And he said no other words but ran forward, his hammer in his hand and willing to do everything he could to protect his family.

 

 

“ _ Mario? What did... what did happened to me? I remember Dimentio and... and...” _

 

“ _ You don't have to think about that anymore...” _

 

“ _ But...” _

 

“ _ No. No, it's in the past. The past doesn't matter, right?” _

 

“ _ ... you say that all the times... but...” _

 

“ _ Luigi... trust me, okay? You... you were hurt but it's okay now.” _

 

“ _ ... But... but what happened, Mario? I just... want to know...” _

 

“ _ Shhh... it's okay. Trust me. There is nothing for you to know.” _

 


	7. Chapter 7

It wasn't easy finding Mario again. Sure, Luigi could always... well... FEEL that Mario was THERE, but the game messed with his ability to pinpoint his brother. It took quite a bit flying around, but at last he found Mario on the Land of Shade and Thunder, sitting on a Boomie-Tower and looking at the sea of glowing water.

  
He seemed a bit shell-shocked. Luigi couldn't say that he was surprised. Nyx had a way with words and how to hurt with them.

  
No. Luigi shook his head. He couldn't blame all of this mess on a game construct, even a powerful one as Nyx. It were his actions and his decisions that hurt his brother. Even if he felt that he had no other choice, it was his responsibility. And now he had to face it.

  
He sat down beside Mario and if his brother had noticed him, he didn't show it. They sat in silence for a while before Luigi broke the silence.

  
“I... I AM sorry.”

  
“For what, Luigi?”, asked Mario with a flat voice that made Luigi cringe inside. He hadn't heard his brother sounding this hurt in a long time. “For what happened or... for the way I got to know about it?

  
“The second. The first... I... I don't know if I would have done something different. I didn't handle it well, but...”

  
“I had to die and someone had to do it.”

  
“... I didn't want to.”, said Luigi. “I... I really, really didn't. But I had to because... I was the only one who could.”

  
“Why?”, asked Mario, staring at Luigi. “Tell me the truth. Why were you the ONLY ONE? Why couldn't you TELL me something like that?”

  
“B...Because you would know.”, said Luigi and Mario fell silent. “You are so powerful, Mario... and you would have felt it if there had been any other person trying to come near you. It had to be me... because I am the only one you allow to come close..”

  
Mario looked at him and Luigi knew he said the truth. He was the only one that could do it.

  
“Luigi... how did YOU die?”

  
And that was not what Luigi had expecting his brother would ask.

  
“What?”

  
“How did you die? You killed me. And then...?”

  
“... I...”

  
“You killed yourself.”, said Mario. No, he stated it, for it was a fact and Luigi cringed at this. “How?”

  
“Does it matter?”

  
“For me it does. When it haunts you, it does. Luigi, the game has messed with all of us and you had to KILL and...”, Mario struggled for words before he sighed and deflated. “I worry about you, Luigi.”

  
And Luigi just couldn't do anything other than to hug his brother.

  
“I'm so sorry...”

  
They would have to talk about it. They hadn't even begun to talk things out, but at least they hadstarted, at least they had brought a problem out in the open.

  
“What happened to Nyx?”

  
“I... I have to go back... I did something and...”

  
“Will you fight her?”

  
“I don't know. I don't think she wants to kill me, but she is sadistic and scary. She... she said that she had to show me something... something about myself.”

  
“I can come with you.”

  
“No... I have to do this on my own.”, said Luigi, looking at Mario. Sure, he would love to have him at his side, but this particular thing was just too much. He had to do it alone.

  
“.. okay. Come back safely, Luigi.”

  
“I'll do my best.”

  
They sat a while in silence, before Mario spoke again.

  
“Do you know what Nyx wants to show you?”

  
“I... don't know. I had these dreams since we came here and I think she has something to do with that. Mario? Do you remember the Star Gate on Star hill?”

  
“The one who said I should do light cardio workout, because rescuing the Mushroom Kingdom on a weekly basis apparently doesn't count as workout?”, said Mario flatly, which made Luigi laugh a bit.

  
“Yeah... the... the one who said that I have... have darkness in my heart and would spend the rest of my life alone.”

  
In an instant every trace of humour was wiped from Marios face.

  
“It was a test, it lied, didn't it? You saw it yourself, the Aura-block grew so much as you struck it...”, Mario argued.

  
“Yeah, but... I keep thinking, you know? What... what if I really have darkness in me? What if there was a mistake and I was never intended to get the power of the stars and what... what if I did something horrible and will be alone?”

  
“Luigi, you will never be alone. Even if our friends weren't there, even if everyone else went away... I will always be at your side, okay? I promise.”

  
He had promised it already in the past and Luigi knew that Mario couldn't hold this one. Some things couldn't be promised and his brother knew that but he did it anyway. Luigi hugged Mario, trying to believe him this one time more.

 

 

“ _Mario? Aren't you afraid that something will happened to Luigi while we are gone?”_

  
“ _Huh? No. I know my brother, he can take care of himself.”_

  
“ _What makes you so sure? Bowser could send his troops against him...”_

_  
“He could, but he wouldn't. Did I ever tell you about what happened when Bowser tried to kidnap Luigi?”_

  
“ _No? What happened?”_

  
“ _They couldn't even touch him. He sprang out of their reach, let them chase him into dangerous places and ran circles around them all. He even disguised himself as an old woman and clobbed them with an old handbag. It must have been hilarious! Bowser then decided that Luigi was too much trouble for kidnapping.”_

  
“ _Oh, that is pretty funny.”_

  
“ _Yeah... besides that, as soon as I found out about that, I told Bowser what I would do if he ever went after Luigi with the intent to use him against me or hurt him to get to me.”_

  
“ _...and?”_

  
“ _Bowser will NEVER touch Luigi. Be sure about that, Princess. There are lines which can never be crossed and Bowser knows that.”_

 

 

So Luigi faced his denizen again. And Nyx was waiting for him.

  
“Now that I have your attention, little knight, let's play a little game. It's called 'Getting what you need'. You have made your choice, now it's time to see if you are cut-out to be anything other than worthless trash.”

  
Luigi took a deep breath, trying to keep himself calm and his emotions in check.

  
“I... I am ready.”

  
“Good. It's better this way.”

  
And his world flared up as pain shot trough his head.

 

 

“ _Luigi? I'm so sorry, but there was an accident. Your brother is in a hospital. He... is in a critical condition.”_

  
“ _What? No! What... what about our parents? Are they already there?”_

  
“ _... I'm so sorry... They... they didn't make it... Your brother was the only survivor. We... we can get you to him...”_

  
“ _Please!”_

_  
It hurts more than anything when every heartbeat sounds like a “no” in his chest. No.No.No.No.No.Nonononononononononononono!_

 

  
“And now? Can you remember, little knight?”

  
Pain. So much pain. Luigi let out a startled cry as his knees gave in. He sank to the ground, gripping his head and screaming. Stars, it hurt so much...

  
Stars... God...

  
Oh God, oh god, why....

  
Why did the think “God”? What... what was happening to him? Luigi screamed but was so confused. Things in his brain just didn't match up anymore.

 

He grew up in the mushroom kingdom with his twin brother...

 

He grew up in New York with his older brother...

 

He grew up in a little town near Florenz with his parents and his younger brother...

 

He grew up with a sister. He grew up alone.

 

He grew up with a younger brother and two cousins.

 

He grew up in the mushroom kingdom with his friends and his brother and... and..

 

No... _ **nononononono...**_

  
“Isn't it nice, little knight? All splitters of you finally getting together. Even the ones that you have misplaced when the universe remade itself.”

  
Oh, he came to loathe this voice. This fine mocking giggle and the smooth voice that just went through all his defenses and always, always hit him where it hurt the most.

  
“Get out of my head, get out of my HEAD!”

  
“Awww, that's cute. You think I'm in your head?”

  
“W...what have you done to me? WHY DOES IT HURT SO MUCH? WHY DO I REMEMBER THINGS THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN???”

  
And there was this giggle again. Nyx was laughing at him.

  
“Oh, this is so wonderful. It's simply delightful how stupid you are. But that's knights for you... they tend to be a bit dim when it comes to IMPORTANT stuff. No, little one, I didn't do anything to you. I just made you whole again. All that what you are seeing? It happened.”

  
Luigi could SEE the grin in the voice.

  
“W...what do you mean?”

  
“What I said, stupid. Everything did happened. And in the middle of every mess, of every emotionally meltdown was the hero of Time. He was your twin, your older brother, younger brother, your cousin, your best friend. He was the person you loved and the one you've hated. You killed him in quite some universes... huh, some things just don't change, huh?”

  
“N...no! DON'T LIE TO ME!”

  
“Why should I lie, huh? You are not THINKING, little knight.”

  
It didn't make sense, it didn't make any sense... Were there tears on his cheek? Or was it blood?

  
“Do you finally understand or do I have to spell it out for you?”

  
“I... I played the game... in... in any world, any universe... I... I played it...”

  
“Uuuuh, cookie for the peanut-gallery. Congratulations. You played the game. In every universe you played it and you had always a part in creating the next. Ironically, huh? Considering what you had done in so many of them... Well... nobody knows what you did in your other lives... well, until NOW.”

  
“No... nononono... nooo... I... I don't wanna... I... I didn't...”

  
Whatever it was, now there were tears. So many memories. So many horrifying among them.. He... he had hurt him. Hurt him and hated him and... and done so many things. Or he hadn't hated him and loved him, but had done these things so the universe could be safe. Or he loved him and loved him a bit too much and couldn't do the things he had to and doomed them all, watching everything he held dear die until he was the only thing left and so alone and waiting for the end or some sort of scratch to happened... Or he played the game and life was so good and he made everything worse.

  
Oh Stars, oh Gambi, oh God, oh Gog, oh anything-that-will-listen, what had he DONE?

  
“Do you understand now, little knight? It's so funny because you try so HARD. But you will always fail. You will always destroy what you have built and replace it with something even more horrifying. And why? For what did you do this, huh?”

  
“I... I...”

  
More tears, more memories... but... but were did it start?

  
He just wanted his parents. He wanted his brother to tell him that everything will be alright...

 

 

“ _There was an accident... they... it doesn't look good...”_

  
“ _Mario? Oh... Oh Thank god, you're alive...”_

  
“ _Luigi? … Luigi... what... what had happened to mum and dad?”_

  
“ _I... I'm so... so sorry...”_

 

 

“ _This can what?”_

  
“ _Well, they say that this game can grand you a wish... AND you can give life to something that is dead.”_

  
“ _You mean... I could bring my parents back?”_

 

 

“ _See? We just have to play the game and our parents will be back again! And we can even figure out something for your legs!”_

  
“ _Are you sure this is a good idea?”_

  
“ _Trust me, okay? Everything will be fine...”_

 

 

“ _WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? WHY? WHY DID YOU DOOOOO THIIIIIIIIS?”_

 

 

“ _I'm so sorry... I.. I never wanted...”_

  
“ _Shh... Luigi... I... I know... just... just win this game and... and say Peach that... that I was happy, that she stayed with me when I couldn't go to PE...”_

  
“ _Nonononono... no last words, I can't...”_

  
“ _You can... just... just take care and END this and... and...”_

  
“ _Mario? MARIO!”_

 

 

“ _THE BLACK KING IS DEAD! ALL GLORY TO THE HEROES OF THE LEGENDS! ALL GLORY TO THE HERO OF HEART!”_

 

 

“ _... and this... is your ultimate reward...”_

 

  
“It... it is all my fault...”

  
“Ohhhh, don't praise yourself to much. Yes, there is a lot of blame to go around and a big chunk of that lies on your shoulders, little knight. But don't be so self-centred to belief that EVERYTHING has do to with you. There were others who did things that lead to all this. The QUESTION is not whether or not you are to blame. The question is... what are you doing now?”

  
Luigi looked up and watched his denizen for a while. Nyx was just... his brain couldn't process her really well. But her question made him pause. What could he do now? He already made his “choice” with her, so he couldn't do it again. He still didn't know what he'd chosen.

  
“W...what CAN I do? I... I can't...”

  
“Oh, nononono... you have made your CHOICE, that is true. But that doesn't mean that you can't do ANYTHING to change your fate, little knight. You know the truth now. You know that what you do will have consequences. And you made your choice. But you have to take action to DO something.”

  
Luigi looked at Nyx. Then looked back down at his hands. He could see a hammer, a sword, a pistol, a flashlight, a vacuumcleaner, a flamethrower, a stack of cards, a rock, a wrench, a bow, a needle, a wand, a fork, a spoon, all sorts of things, overlaying before his eyes. All possibilities. All things he had in his hand at one point in this multi-universe-mess.

  
The picture cleared with a hammer. His Hammer of Dreams and Shattering.

  
“... we have to beat the black king. Bring peace to Skaia. And.. and create the frog to win...”

  
“That is true. You get a new universe. A new cycle.”

  
“What happens if... if I make the other choice?”

  
“Then you have to figure out how to get out of the game... little knight.”

  
Luigis widened at that.

  
“THAT'S IT! TIME!”

  
And he ran out, leaving a laughing Nyx alone in her hall of Nightmares.

 

 

“ _What is your wish for a universe? For a new world?”_

  
“ _I wish for a world where my brother is okay. Where he can be a hero, rescue a princess, be happy. I want a world that is bright and colourful. I want a world where there is such a thing like a happy ending.”_

 

_I wanted a world where everything is a game. I wanted a world where we can live._

_I forgot that every game has its villains..._

_I forgot that THIS game doesn't play fair._

 

 

When Mario saw Luigi again, he was a mess. Eyes wide and graping him and talking a mile in a minute.

  
“Mario! I... I think I know what we can do! You... you have to trust me. Please. I... it will seem totally crazy from your point of view but... but I PROMISE I would explain it to you if I could. Please trust me...”

  
Mario stared at his brother. The brother who was... so... so different from what he knew about him. And Luigi was looking at him and Mario could swear that there were tears in Luigi's eyes. No crocodile tears. His brother was HURT and he couldn't do anything about this and he didn't know what to do.

  
“Luigi? What... please tell me... what does that mean?”

  
“... you... you really don't remember? I... I guess it's...” He tried to calm himself. “I... I made a terrible mistake. We... we played the game together. I kind of tricked you into playing with me and... and we won and YOU let me have the wish at the end. And... and you were... hurt and I wished for a world were... were it wouldn't matter. Were you'd be a HERO and there would be ways to bring anyone back and... and because of me we lost EVERYTHING. And you were so sad and I... I was the Thief of Heart so I... I did something and took your fear and memories and... and I'm sorry. I am so sorry, because I think I did something like this again. I doomed our world and I think I doomed the next...”

  
“Luigi!” Mario grapped him by his shoulders, holding him in place. “Luigi, please... I don't understand. We... we have played the Game before?”

  
“Yes... In another universe. Haven't you... ever found it strange that we couldn't quite remember our parents? You remember the Yoshis but not how we grew up? And didn't you find it strange that so little humans live here? Didn't you ever wonder WHY things happen here like that? The... The answer is... Because this... this is all like a game. And I wished for it. I wished for a world to be like a Game so.. so you could survive anything. So there would be extra-lives and a cure for everything and happy ends and no bad things like.. like sickness and accidents and hurt and you could be a hero! I WANTED it like that and I DOOMED everything with it.”

  
Mario blinked. Something about that DID ring a bell for him, but...

  
“How?” He asked quietly. “How... how is that possible?”

  
“I don't know.” Luigi said.

  
“Why... why did you do this?”

  
“Because... you were hurt. You had an.... accident. We... we lost... and you lost a leg and... our friends were great but you were devastated and I... I wanted to stop the hurt. I... You are my brother. I never wanted something to hurt you... I knew I couldn't make everything better, but I thought... that I could change a few things.”

  
It made sense and maybe that was the worst of it. Because Mario could relate. He would do anything for his brother, too. He would have made a wish for him, too.

  
“Okay... okay, we talk about that later... and... everything else...”, said Mario. The list of things they had to talk about just went on and on. “You came because... you needed something? You have an idea how we can get out of this mess? The White King is dying and...”

  
“That's it, Mario. I think I know a way. We need all our powers, especially yours. And if all things come out right... we... we can break the circle.”

  
Luigi looked at his brother pleadingly and Mario just felt something in him turn soft. No matter what, Luigi told him and what may have happened... Luigi was still his brother and he trusted him.

  
“Okay. Tell me what to do.”

 

 

“ _Hey, what hero are you?”_

  
“ _I am the Thief of Heart. Cool, huh?”_

  
“ _Wow. I bet your outfit will look awesome. I'm the Page of Time.”_

  
“ _Page, huh?”_

  
“ _Don't say a word. Peach is the Sylph of Mind and Daisy?”_

  
“ _Seer of Space. It's a pitty we don't have a knight, but we will get through.”_

  
“ _You bet! I try to alchemize some stuff. I want to FLY.”_


	8. Chapter 8

Luigi looked at Mario and Peach standing over the Cloning device, working on the Genesis frog. His plan was simple but difficult to do: Creating a universe just like the one they left.

  
It could be done. Every universe started out the same and there were some fixed things in every incarnation, because the Game did set rules as to how the new universe should look like. It only made sense, the Game had to ensure that the new universe would be able to support a new game session and the new players had to be compatible. So all they had to do was to slow down or speed up things inside the new frog and change the right choices to their favor. 

  
It was something only Peach and Mario could do together.

  
Luigi looked at them, both were concentrating intensely on the frog and sometimes flashes of green or red could be seen.

  
Daisy sighed and sat down beside him.

  
“It's a bummer that we can't help, huh?”

  
“I'm... afraid our powers wouldn't be much of a help.”, Luigi said, but agreeing with Daisy. It was unnerving to just sit there, looking at them.

  
“Do you think it will work?”

  
“It has to.”

  
Daisy was silent for a while, turning her gaze from Mario and Peach to Luigi himself.

  
“Luigi? Are you okay? You seem so... different. Did something happen with your denizen?”

  
Luigi flinched at that, but looked at Daisy. He hadn’t seen it before, but she seemed a bit down, too. The game left traces on all of them. Concern was in her eyes.

  
“Yeah... s...something did happened. I... I really don't want to talk about that just yet. But... I will be okay, I think. I'm not hurt and it's just a lot to process...”

  
“Oh... okay.”, said Daisy. “You know that whenever you want to talk, you can come to me, yeah?”

  
“Thank you, Daisy...”

  
She pulled his hat over his eyes, smiling a bit.

  
“Not for something like that, Sweetie.”

  
Despite everything that had happened and the knowledge that they still have the Black Army to beat, Luigi smiled as he pulled his hat back up. Some things would never change.

  
“Daisy? Uh... I think I might know a thing we could do while we wait. I have a few ideas for combining our powers in fight. What do you say?”

  
Daisy looked at him, the spark of life and mischief back in her eyes.

  
“I say let's hear what you got.”

 

 

“ _Since when does Koopa call himself Bowser?”_

 

“ _Huh? Since forever? When did he call himself Koopa?”_

 

“ _But... I... ah, forget it...”_

 

 

The nights were the worst. Nyx didn't send him any nightmares anymore, but the Dreambubbles began to take a whole new toll on Luigi, more so with the others so close when they slept.

  
It wasn't the first Dreambubble dream for him. Most of them were horrible, so he tried to stay out of them as soon as he recognized them.

  
The problem was that the dreams often disguised themselves as memories.And sometimes you just walk into a memory you weren't intended to see. Like the one he had just stumbled upon, after hearing shouts and what sounded like his brother crying out in pain. He came to a halt as he saw the scene before him.

  
Mario was standing there, around him the empty waste of a former dimension. His clothes were a bit worn down, as if he was in the middle of a longer quest, he was holding his right arm and he was fighting a man that... that...

  
“HAVE AT YA!”

  
It was him. There was no way that it was anybody else. It was him, wearing a darker cloths and he... he was fighting his brother?

  
“ _I will end your game once and for all, Mr-jumps-all-the-_ _time!”_

  
N...No.

  
“Luigi?”

  
No. He...

  
“ _Mr. L, end their Game!”_

  
“Luigi!”

  
Dimentio. The Chaos Heart.

  
“ _Your loyalty belongs to me, Mr. L!”_

  
“No! Luigi, Wait!”

  
It was his fault.

  
“LUIGI!”

  
Finally, finally the words of his brother reached his mind. In front of him was Mario. He still was a bit dirty, and there was a bleeding wound on his arm in the same place a new scar had formed and Mario had said he didn't know how he had gotten it after the whole Chaos Heart Incident.)

  
“I... did that...?”

  
Mario’s face spoke of pain and was all the answer Luigi needed.

  
“Luigi... it wasn't you. No matter what you saw, it wasn't you...”

  
“It was my body, wasn't it? It... it was ME and Dimentio, he...”

  
“Luigi...”, Mario said, but Luigi wouldn't let him continue, to upset about what the revelation and the new memories that began to put themselves into his mind.

  
“I kept dreaming about that! I... I dreamed about that! Hurting you and laughing and... and I thought I was going insane and YOU KNEW WHAT WAS HAPPENING?”, screamed Luigi, tears blurring his vision and maybe he just imagined that Mario flinched. 

  
Maybe not. But he didn't quite care, not at this point.

  
“You knew it! Why didn't you... why didn't you TELL me anything?”

  
“Luigi... I...”, Mario began, but looked away. “I thought... I didn't want you to know.”

  
“WHY?”

  
“Because...”

  
“BECAUSE WHAT?”, screamed Luigi, grasping for Mario, holding him at his arms, face close enough that he could see his hurt and angry expression in Mario’s eyes. And Luigi noticed how... well... small Mario was compared to him.

  
Had Mario always been this small? Did he always tower over his brother this much? Mario seemed so powerful and big any other time... but now? He seemed to shrink even more, deflating and dropping any of his defenses, as he spoke again, looking at Luigi with this... defeated expression on his face.

  
“... because I was to blame. I didn't even know it was you until the very end. I was a fool and I broke the one promise I made to you.”, came the answer, so, so quiet. “Because I failed you and I was selfish and afraid... I thought I would spare you the pain of knowing. I wanted you to forget and if you wouldn’t remember anything, then I could also forget. But... but I didn't. And you...You neither...” 

  
“... Mario...”

  
“I am sorry, Luigi. For not protecting you. For not being attentive enough when you needed me the most. For letting you alone with Dimentio.”, Mario said, looking at Luigi, his feelings so raw on his face.

  
Luigi stared at him. And it hurt so much. It hurt knowing that HE was responsible for hurting his brother (and Peach!), that he was the host... of...

  
“The... the Chaos Heart.”, Luigi said. “What happened to it?”

  
“Luigi...”

  
“Please, Mario. Don't lie. Please don't lie to me about that. I HAVE to know.”

  
“... it fused with you. And Dimentio. It... it wasn't you but...”

  
Behind Mario, Luigi could see what Mario had seen that fateful day. A monstrous THING, wearing his face, the diabolic clown’s body and with powers beyond reason. 

  
“I was so afraid.”, Mario said. “Fighting this thing.”

  
“It looks like a nightmare.”, Luigi said, voice a bit toneless. It was just too much. His body and mind were used to hurting the people he cared about and even to creating the means to destroy entire dimensions. What should he feel? What should he say? His brother was so small in front of him, even shaking.

  
“It wasn't that, Luigi! This... This THING had you! I had to fight it, I had to stop it, but... but I was so afraid that I would end your game! It was so strong and I couldn't hold back but I WANTED to!”, Mario said, his voice becoming louder and shrill and Luigi nearly let go of him.

  
He never saw Mario this... upset.

  
“You want to know why I didn't tell you? Because it was my greatest failure to you. I failed to protect you and I could have ended your game and LOST YOU and... and... I just... I just couldn't...”, ended Mario, again deflating. “I couldn't tell you about this...”

  
The scenery around them disappeared, too. The nightmarish Dimentio-Luigi dissolved into mist, the landscape became green and blue. Delfino Island formed itself around them and Luigi still stared at his brother. 

  
His brother who was... just a person. Just human. Just... just a mortal who made mistakes. He had known that, always, but... 

  
Luigi embraced Mario with all his might. It still hurts. 

  
But his own hurt never outweighed the hurt he felt when he saw the look of utter pain in Mario’s eyes. And as he hugged him, he felt how Mario held onto him like he didn't want to let go.

  
His brother was so... tiny. 

  
Luigi just couldn't get over the fact, now that he noticed it. He had to go on his knees when he wanted to be eye-to-eye with Mario. He was so small but he had never realized it.  
Oh, he knew the feeling of Mario being even tinier. When he transformed into a giant in the dream world to protect Mario, he knew that his brother was little compared to him. Small enough to stand on his hat. He remembered how Mario barely weighed anything, how Mario would shout and hold onto him when an enemy attack threw them back.  
He even remembered how Mario would slump and had to rest when he used all his energy to help him and how he barely felt it even when Mario would let himself fall with his whole body weight. He remembered thinking that he had to protect him, had to do anything to save his brother, because their enemies where giants and Mario was so small and could be hurt or have his game ended so easily.

  
But never in the real world. In the real world he had never thought of Mario as tiny. Because he was always so... so big. Smiling and laughing and jumping trough the air and throwing things multiple times bigger in size than him. He could carry Luigi when he got hurt without much difficulty. He threw BOWSER through the air as if he was just a big sack of potatoes! And even if someone would land a hit on him, he would just flip back, barely hurt and come back even stronger.

  
It was just so unbelievable that someone so tiny could seem so big.

  
“Mario? Can you promise me something?”

  
“... what?”

  
“I don't want you to lie to me. Not about something like that. Not... not about me doing things that I didn't want to. Not about when someone used me for... for something like that.”

  
“Luigi...”

  
“No, please, Mario. I... I deserve to know things like that. I deserve to know what had happened to me. I... I don't care what you had to do and what you didn't do. It hurts, yes, but it hurts more to not know.”, said Luigi, looking at Mario. “I WANT to know stuff like that. And... and I am not a child anymore, Mario. You don't have to protect me from something like that.”

  
“But...”, begun Mario, looking straight at Luigi’s eyes and Luigi almost had to look away. 

  
“Mario. Please. I... I know, but...”

  
“You are the only family I have.”, said Mario. “I... Protecting you is something I HAVE to do...”

  
“No. Not like this, Mario. Don't... don't shelter me, okay? I have to... to do things and know things myself. You can help me protect myself. But not like that. I... I get it. I really do, but... but we will only hurt each other when you do something like that. So PLEASE tell me. Not only when something happened to me, but also to you. I want to help you just as much as you want to help me. But I can't do anything if I don't know what is going on.”

  
“... okay.”, said Mario quiet and Luigi couldn't do anything but hold onto Mario closer.

  
“Thank you. And now tell me... what happened to the Chaos Heart?”

  
Mario flinched in his arms, but Luigi wouldn't let go. Not this time.

  
“... it merged with you, as I said.”

  
“Why?”

  
“... Dimentio said you were the... the perfect host. He didn't say why or... or what that even meant...”

  
There was silence for a while between them, then Luigi started to chuckle. Mario looked at him, confused.

  
“What is so funny?”

  
“Nothing... it's just... that clown... I am the hero of heart... It's a bit as if he had known...”

  
Mario looked at him. Maybe there was a hint of sadness in his eyes.

  
“And then?”

  
“It was stopped. We stopped this... THING and Dimentio’s Game was ended and the Chaos Heart was stopped.”

  
“Good... it's... it's good to know that something like that isn't around anymore...”

  
“Hmm... You came out okay, but had no memories and I was so glad. But I couldn't tell you...”

  
“Mario?”

  
“Yes?”

  
“Thank you. For telling me now.”

  
The dream dissolved before any of them could say anything more.

 

 

“ _Tick, Tock, little plumbers. Your time is nearly up. Tick, Tock.”_  
  


“ _Tick.”_  
  


“ _Tock.”_  
  


“ _Tick.”_


	9. Chapter 9

Skaia was shrouded in dark clouds as they arrived for their last battle. The White King (still wounded, still only hanging on on a tiny string of magic) and the White Queen were busy leading their army against the black army but they knew that the real threat lay before them: The Black King.

  
Mario looked at the others. Peach in her wonderful green tunic of the Mage of Mind, her Umbrella of Sheepsleep in her hands. Daisy beside her looked grim through her facemask. Her Racket of Gravity seemed to radiate something that bent space around it and her black Rogue of Space outfit hid her best in the storm.  
His brother Luigi stood tall beside him, his Hammer of Nightmares in his hand, his maroon cape fluttering dramatically in the wind. Mario couldn't help but to smile a bit. Luigi had indeed grown into his role as the Knight of Heart (no, the Hero of Heart) and he couldn't be prouder of him...  
And then there was he himself, the Heir of Time. His Hammer of Dreams was in his hands, ready to be used. And he could feel the time ticking, flowing and he knew that Peach could feel what would happen next.  
One look at his princess. She smiled at him, but with determination. One look at Luigi and Daisy. She was ready to fight for the slight chance of a happy end. And Luigi only regarded him with a blank look that hid all of his emotions.

  
Mario knew what his brother felt, though. They all were afraid. And Mario hoped that Luigi wouldn't go into the battle feeling as if he had forced them into it.

  
He knew his brother and he feared the conclusions he could draw.

  
Lightning struck in the distance and the fight begun.

  
Black Knights and battle machines charged at them. Mario didn't waste any time, slowed the fast ones down, while Peach put the rest to sleep. One mighty whack with Daisy's Racket and they went flying, with Luigi's Hammer finishing of the rest.

  
They were a good team. Luigi and Daisy dealt a lot of damage while he and Peach supported them. It was a bit strange for Mario first to stand in the back when he normally would have joined the fray head-on.

  
The fight went on, the black units falling left and right but there were just so many of them. Mario felt his energy draining way too fast and the Black King hadn't even shown up yet. He stood beside Peach, whacking a soldier with long fangs away, trying to buy her some time to charge up her Magic, and the rain really started to make it difficult to see. He had lost sight of Daisy but could feel her power flaring up from time to time: her Space powers distorted the flow of time in some areas of the battlefield. Not enough for anyone besides him to notice, but still...  
And Luigi...

  
No, he trusted his brother to hold his own. Luigi was a formidable fighter, even before this whole mess.

  
A shockwave ran through the field, Space was stolen and given back and electricity danced through the air and Mario had to smile as he finished off the last of the soldiers with his hammer. So his brother had finally gotten his other idea to work.

  
The field was cleared within a few minutes after that. Daisy did a spectacular job with bringing Luigi's idea to reality.

  
And after the last black soldier has fallen, there was a rumble in the distance. Mario looked up, Peach was coming beside him. Daisy and Luigi showed up not long after that and they watched together as the last obstacle of the game begun to rise at the horizon.

  
The Black King wasn't just a enemy. He wasn't just the Endboss of this game. He was a force of nature. He was unbelievably powerful and only looking at him made them all tremble in fear. Even Mario felt dread.

  
Everyone of them knew that each death would be considered heroic or just by the game from here on. Every death would be permanent. And no matter how powerful they had become, there was the high possibility of them dieing.

  
“Are you ready?”

  
Nobody was. But nobody said so.

 

 

“ _Are you ready?”_

  
“ _Not really, but... this thing wouldn't let us get to, would it?”_

  
“ _Yeah... but... I know we can beat the Black King. Just this one fight and we get everything we want.”_

  
“ _Okay. This is the last fight!”_

 

  
Fighting. Hammer, parasol, racket, vacuum, time, space, mind and heart. They gave all they got. They had the best weapons they could get. They were all God Tiers, they were all powerful and had faced their own quests and hardships, they lost and gained so much...

  
WHY. COULDN'T. THEY. WIN?

 

 

_WHY CAN'T WE WIN?_

 

 

Rain was falling. The White and the Black army were beaten. The Black Queen was slain. The White King still dying. The White Queen dead. A powerful gush of wind had blown Daisy and Peach far away from the battle and Mario had been hit by a nasty fireball of the Black King. He wasn't hurt too bad but was stunned and had been thrown far back. His leg lay in an odd angle and he was sure that it was broken.

  
So it was only Luigi and the Black King before him. The Black King, who was laughing in his unearthly voice, who knew that he could crush the heroes and they couldn't do a thing about it.

  
And Luigi looked at him, nearly overcome with fear.

_  
What should I do, what should I do, WHAT SHOULD I DO?_

  
And the King laughed.

  
“ARE YOU SEEING IT NOW? YOU HAVE LOST. ALL YOU DID WAS MEANINGLESS. YOU ALL WILL DIE AND THERE IS NOTHING YOU CAN DO. YOU HAVE LOST, LITTLE HEROES.”

  
And in this instant, he knew it. He knew what he had to do.

  
“You know... I am no hero. Everybody here calls me the hero of Heart. But it's a lie. It's not who I am. My brother is a hero. The Princesses are heroines in their own right. And I have met so many heroes from other worlds... but I? I am no hero.”, he said.

  
And with that he flung his Hammer of Nightmares away and began to smile. His God Tier outfit disappeared, leaving him with just his usual green-blue overall and his green hat. He discarded his other weapons. Even the Buster Duster 5000. He spread his arms wide and screamed against the storm that was still howling loud. He screamed so the Black King could hear him and everybody who was still listening to him.

  
“I AM LUIGI! NOBODY ELSE. I AM LUIGI AND THAT IS ENOUGH.”

  
He could hear his brother screaming at him, to take cover, to reclaim the items that would shield him from his doom or might just give him a chance of survival. He heard Peach and Daisy screaming something, maybe the same thing as his brother. He could feel that both of them prepared their own attacks but he knew they wouldn't be there in time. Even Mario wouldn't be there in time. He never mastered the time travel, despite his aspect and he seemed to struggle with his leg...

  
Luigi smiled a bit.

  
“FOOLISH MORTAL! What do you think you are doing? Do you wish to die faster? Are you giving up?”

  
“No.”, Luigi said smiling. Electricity was crackling in his hands as thunder roared in the distance and lightning illuminated the sky, showing of the shadows on Luigi's face. “I'm just getting started.”

  
Lightning struck again, much, much closer this time. The Black King just laughed, not faced the slightest at the display before him. And a giant hand began its descent to Luigi. Luigi just stared at it, feeling all of himself inside him. Not the power of the game.

  
His very own power.

  
“Have at ya.”, he said quietly and jumped.

  
Lightning struck again.

  
And Luigi could FEEL the power. His power over electricity and his Thunderhand. His incredible jumping power, his skills with the hammer, Power-Ups, Magic, Weapons, Mechanics, Knowledge... It was all there and it was all him. He just had to use it. All of it.

  
Lightning struck the King and Luigi could FEEL all the splitters of himself reaching back and attacking as one...

  
Mario, Daisy and Peach saw the whole thing happening. When asked later Mario would say that it seemed like Luigi could do the same thing he did in the dream realm: Splitting himself into thousands of clones of himself, everyone of them holding different weapons or wearing different clothes. Each of them different but all of them his brother.

  
For a split second he saw them all. And as the lightning connected with the horn on the Black King's head, all of them brought their weapons down and then there was only one Luigi and a lot of damage to the King.

  
Darkness and rain remained as the King fell. And the next lightning showed the King slain, Luigi standing alone on the corpse, with the King's Sceptre shattered before him. And his eyes still glowed a bit and then Mario saw a familiar look in the eyes of his brother.

  
He was by his side (despite his broken leg) the instant he fell unconscious and caught him in his arms before he could hit the ground. He got on his knees, uncaring for the mess and he called the name of his brother over and over as blood rained down on them and even more as said blood was washed away by the rain.

  
If there were tears somewhere in there too, nobody could tell.

 

“ _You are a hero, too.”_

 

 

* * *

 

 

  
“And that is how we made it... there... there ARE a few things different this time. No time manipulation on my part and no input from Peach could recreate the exact same thing. But this world is as close to the one we lost as possible. We all had to make choices. We all had to do things for this to happen... but in the end we got what we wanted...”, Mario ended his story.

  
He was sitting in a comfortable looking chair, his right leg inside a cast resting on a small stool. He was holding himself a bit too stiff, bandages under his shirt still holding broken rips in place. A few burn marks would leave scars, reminders of the adventure behind him. But he smiled as he came to the end of his story, looking at his guest and his eyes warm and bright like always.

  
“Peach got her kingdom, as cheerful and pure as it gets and with everyone of her subjects alive and well.  
Daisy got her own personality, her own role in life, a new freedom to do what she wants and her friendship with everyone she desired.  
And me? I got the power to protect each and every one of them.”

  
“What about Luigi? Is... what happened to him?”

  
“My brother, huh?”, Mario said, smiling a little bit. “He got his wish. A world where every one of us could be happy.”

  
“But... he... he died...”

  
Mario laughed out loud, startling his guest.

  
“W...why are you laughing? Wasn't he your twin?”

  
“Oh, no no no no... He is my twin, my brother and my family... but... well... see for yourself...”

  
And with these words Mario opened the window, showing Toadtown holding a parade. Green banners were everywhere, people chanting Luigi's name and a wagon, decorated with flowers driving slowly through the street, a smiling and waving Daisy sitting on top of it... and a slightly bewildered looking Luigi beside her. His left arm was in a sling but otherwise he seemed okay. And alive.

  
“B...but how?”

  
“Did you really think I could be happy in a world where my brother died? No, no... Happiness is more than that. I... no, we all could only be happy in the knowledge that Luigi is okay and well known for the fact that he is the bravest man in this universe.”, Mario explained, a warm smile on his face. “For he is the single most courageous man I ever met in my life.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, and this is how this story ends.   
> Well, THIS story. Yes, there will be more. 
> 
> There will be a second story, telling the second half of this one. Namently what Daisy and Peach were up to. I also have a few Follow-Up ideas for this one, I'm still not sure if I should post them here as some sort of epilog or if I should post them as a seperate story.  
> I also have some unused scenes from the first game they played, we will see if they evolve into a full story or if they end up as flashbacks later on... Time will tell.
> 
> Well, there is nothing left to do than to thank you all, for reading, for liking this odd little story . I had a lot of fun writing it and hope it made some people out there smile or think a bit more about little, happy Nintendo-Charakters and their drama. XD


End file.
